The Queen
by Strange Obsession
Summary: Ietsuna knew about it all. She wasn't an idiot, but what else could she do but play ignorant when her family was so intertwined with underground? Tsuna had no need or want for the bloody throne, nor did she have any ambitions beyond a simple life. Ultimately it seemed the cause of her downfall was her own greedy heart. All27, Twin!fic, Fem!Tsuna.
1. They Beat in Sync

**A/N** Welcome!

I've been fiddling with this little fic for a while, and rather than let it stew in one of my not-so-well hidden folders, I thought I'd post it here.

The updating will be sporadic, and mostly all over the place (with large unexplained breaks) and this is mainly because I am focusing on another fic.

I will try to at least finish this though, whenever that might be :)

There are a lot of pairings going on in here, but I think I'll be making it pretty obvious who will have a part in the romance. I am not sure though, if this will end with a final single pairing, or an odd mishmash of a harem.

Well there won't be much of anything in the first few chapters anyway, so here we go. (Just a note, _italics_ is for Italian, I'll be putting google translate to work in this fic)

* * *

 **~Chapter 1 – They Beat in Sync**

" _My apologies Iemitsu_ ," A gravelly voice said over the phone, his voice filled with sincerity despite the foreign words, " _I hate to trouble you at this time, but it is likely that you will have to return._ "

" _Haa…_ " Iemitsu sighed softly, stretching his tense shoulders as he kept his eyes on the flickering ceiling light. He stood stiffly, phone pressed to one ear while the other stayed attuned to the commotion in the room behind him. " _When?_ " His hands itched to pull out a cigarette, but he wouldn't dare inside the hospital, instead settling to run his fingers through his short, blond hair.

" _Tonight._ " His boss answered with finality.

" _Now?!_ " For a moment he struggled to keep his speech respectful, head turning to glance inside the room where his wife was, " _What happened?_ "

" _The Gospella famiglia are causing trouble again,_ " The voice on the other side of the phone sounded tired, " _Sorry again, Iemitsu,_ " He repeated, " _I know you wanted to be with your family._ " He shook his head forlornly. He didn't even have a family to be with yet, and despite the fact that his wife and future son were fighting for survival just a couple steps behind him, the chances were he wouldn't spend more than a moment with them. And that was if he was lucky. He took a deep breath, exhaling loudly.

" _It's fine._ " The fact that his boss was apologizing struck him deeply, seeing as the old man had enough power to simply order him back without question, " _I'll board the plane tonight-_ "

"Sawada-san." A masked doctor tapped his shoulder and Iemitsu quickly ended the call, shoving his phone back into his pockets.

"Yes?" He instantly switched languages without a problem, if anything more comfortable with this one seeing as it was the one he grew up with.

"Congratulations." The doctor smiled behind his mask, pushing open the operating room's doors so he could glance inside, "Would you like to meet your children?"

"Children?" His blue eyes locked with the brown of his wife's, the warm and fuzzy feeling of love rising in his chest as per usual. His eyes peered at the bundle in her thin arms, so intently he was startled by a nurse pushing an identical bundle into his own arms. "Twins?" His voice caught in his throat as his son squirmed and then began to wail, his loud cry demanding attention throughout the room.

"Iemitsu," His wife called, beckoning him over, "Come here." They swapped bundles, and the man noticed that this child was ever so slightly lighter, letting out only quiet whimpers.

"Names?" he asked quietly, as Nana soothed the crying baby.

"Ieyoshi," She said looking at the one in her arms, "And Ietsuna." This time her eyes moved to the lighter of the twins, pale eyes opening blearily as she took in the first sights of the world.

* * *

They were one and the same, and yet each had their own undeniable existence, like two candles brought to life by a single flame. Since the time they came into the world they were inseparable, and only with many tears did they unwillingly part. Ietsuna was the older twin by mere seconds, but in every other way she was 'smaller' than her brother, both in size and personality. She cried softer than her physically bigger brother with wisps of laughter compared to the other's hearty squeals. They had both started with brown tufts of hair and pale eyes, but through time Ieyoshi's dark hair lightened until it was more blonde than brown and his eyes brightening to a magnificent blue, whilst his sister took a marginally different path. Her hair never went more than a few shades lighter than their mother's and her eyes colouring a molten amber that few would recognize.

Nana was of the ignorant majority, she could only smile as she watched her darling children play. She considered herself incredibly lucky that she had been blessed with twins, and better yet, a pair of siblings that seemed to adore one another. "Tsu, look." Her son was shouting for his barely-older sister, dragging her attention away from the colourful picture book and towards his stack of building blocks.

"Uh?" She clapped her hands in praise, being careful not to knock the structure down as she poked its side. Their mother could watch them forever, both entertained by their silly behaviour and watchful of potential dangers. Nana simply loved every minute of her days. They were so well behaved, not as loud as she had expected most of the time, and she wanted to be there for every milestone in their growth. No, she didn't even want to think about being separated from her babies.

"Nana." Iemitsu called her into the kitchen, his usual smile a bit more strained as he watched his kids. She loved him dearly of course, seeing as she married him, but unfortunately he had always been the bearer of bad news in the family. He spoke quietly, and for a second she thought she might have misheard.

"You want to take Yoshi-kun?" Nana repeated, her voice horrified. Iemitsu looked at her and nodded, his expression one of rare seriousness. He had told her barely anything, as per usual.

"Nii-chan leaving?" An unsure voice brought their attention to the twins, two pairs of wide, innocent eyes looking at them questioningly. Nana knew it was almost impossible to miss how close they one with one another. Even now they were holding hands, and yet Iemitsu wanted to split them apart.

"Maybe," The blond said, scooping them both up in his strong arms, "Papa's lonely you know." Whilst it was only part of his reason for wanting to take his son, it was the truth and the only thing his dear family had to know.

"Far away?" Ieyoshi asked, blinking his gorgeous blue eyes as his mother's hand ran through his blond hair.

"Very far away," Iemitsu answered, "But we will come back often, to visit your mama and onee-chan."

"Like papa then." His daughter replied as the hand moved to tug her own brown hair. She understood the concept of leaving, and knew she wouldn't like it if she couldn't see Yoshi. Especially since when their papa said 'often', he really meant once in a very long while.

"Just like papa." Nana confirmed looking at her daughter's worried, amber eyes. She opened her arms and her husband let her hold the young girl, both of them now facing each other with one of their children in their arms, "What do you think, Tsu-chan?" She asked her daughter quietly, now that the twins were apart, albeit only slightly.

"I-," She immediately wanted to say how much she hated such a thing but an odd feeling made her hesitate. She didn't want to be like some of the other kids they had met, she didn't want to be selfish. Tsuna just wanted her mama and papa to be happy. "Yoshi should choose." She replied, turning her face away and burying it in her mother's warm chest, tears threatening to cloud her vision as she knew exactly what her brother would chose.

* * *

Her brother had already left by the time kindergarten arrived, and suddenly something that had excited Tsuna, became unbearably frightening. "My name is Sawada Ietsuna." Her voice trembled nervously as the small girl hunched in on herself, small hands clutching one another tightly as she pretended her hand was someone else's. She didn't like the attention, and already missed the comforting warmth of her mama.

"No need to be so scared Ietsuna-chan," The teacher patted her fluffy hair fondly, wearing an encouraging smile on her face, "Now come on and raise your head so you can get to know your new friends."

"…ok." Still unsure, she dragged her eyes from the faded carpet, visibly flinching as whispers broke out, quickly growing to a loud murmur.

"Sensei, what's wrong with her eyes?" Tsuna felt her body tense at the question, her breath becoming shorter and quicker with the onslaught of panic.

"Kenta!" He was being scolded, but it didn't change his words. Why exactly were her eyes so different from the norm? Why couldn't they have been more like her mother's….or even her brother's? Thinking about her twin seemed to worsen her condition. The fact that he wasn't here beside her made her afraid in an inexplicable way.

"Ietsuna-chan?" The young teacher looked down at the shy girl, noticing how she was shaking. She got no reaction, growing increasingly concerned at the hard breathing. "…Ietsuna-chan?" Tentatively she reached out, lightly touching the small shoulder.

"Yoshi," The name slipped past her lips almost inaudibly at first, before she began to chant it in earnest, "Yoshi-nii…where?" Her chest was beginning to hurt, making her panic more, with even tears gathering in her eyes. "Yoshi?"

* * *

 _Tsuna._ Nana wrung her hands in her lap, looking at her daughter who had finally fallen asleep. The hospital bed looked too large for her, to white and sterile. They had taken away the oxygen mask as soon as she had been able to breathe safely on her own, and loaded Nana with too much information for her to currently process. Asthma wasn't uncommon, she now had the medication for in, and the panic attack was likely a one off and not future anxiety problems.

With one last look at her daughter, she left the room, ready to go find the doctor in charge for a repeat explanation.

"Oh, are you alright?" Nana wasn't clumsy by nature, but still found herself stumbling quite embarrassingly into a stranger. The stress of it all was probably getting to her.

"Sorry." She replied hastily, taking a step back from the man. He wasn't dressed like a doctor, instead wearing a simple green kimono, and despite his shock of white hair, looked like a kind, young man.

"You look awfully tired," He began, adjusting his glasses, "Can I offer any help." He seemed completely sincere and before she realized what she was doing, she was unloading all her problems and worries onto him. And surprisingly, he listened, with more than enough patience expected of a stranger.

"…I love Tsuna so much that I'd be lonely without her, just like without Yoshi, but I can cope. I'm coping now." She wasn't going to cry, feeling more drained than actually emotional, "I don't think Tsuna can do without her brother though. It was far too early to pull them apart."

"Can you not move over there with your husband?" The unnamed stranger asked. She shook her head. She couldn't, it was the one thing she was completely stubborn about, and she had no good reason as to why. Japan was her home, it was Iemitsu's home as well so long as she was there and it was something she felt he couldn't afford to lose. He never stressed that they should live together, he travelled a lot after all, and never wanted her anywhere where she was uncomfortable.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading :)

This chapter is quite short, but I didn't want to call it a prologue and mess up fanfiction's numbering.

This will be a twinfic, but they'll actually be quite close. I have a hard time making characters mean, it just doesn't stick and I have an aversion to making people bad. (In fact I might end up redeeming a lot of characters...oh the struggles of picking an antagonist.) Well, we'll just go with the flow here.


	2. There was a Mansion, a Man, and a Murder

**A/N** And hello again!

By the way, There are a couple changes I'm making;

This is set two years after the original start point. (i.e. Tsuna and co. are high school students) and the Arcobaleno have, for the most part, regained their adult bodies. (though are prone to sporadic transformations to their younger selves).  
And obviously, Tsuna/Ietsuna is a female with a twin named Ieyoshi (it's the name Tsunayoshi split in two, seeing as Nana was only planning for a single child)

Other things I'll mention as they come and go, and if I forget, feel free to PM me.

For now I'll just be skipping ahead until everything comes into play :)

* * *

 **~Chapter 2 – There was a Mansion, a Man, and a Murder**

Italy was frighteningly different to Japan, in its people, its language, its culture, and its appearance. Similarly, Palermo was nothing like Namimori. Quiet streets became bustling roads, and small rural houses become a cluster of tall buildings. " _Ciao-su_? _Sono ie, Tsuna?_ "

"Try again Tsu-chan," Her father said ruffling her hair, " _Ciao, io sono, Ietsuna._ " It was cute that her she fumbled over her words, but he had to make sure she knew what to do if she ever got lost….not that he would let her out of his sight, his sight possibly being the sight of his subordinates, or bring her anywhere dangerous…

"Papa, we're gonna be late." Yoshi whined, tugging on the older man's pants.

"Alright, alright," Iemitsu smiled toothily, "You'll take care of your sister, right Yoshi-kun?"

"Of course!" The tiny blonde puffed out his chest with innocent bravado, " _Amo mia sorella!_ " Iemitsu laughed loudly, patting his son heartily on the back.

"That's my boy!"

* * *

Despite her father's initial thoughts, and her brother's bold promise, it wasn't long before Tsuna found herself lost and alone in an unfamiliar place. This grandiose mansion, with its crimson carpet and marbled pillars, was far too large. The moment they entered her father had left with faceless suit-wearing men, promising an early return. And then, a moment after, her brother had scampered along, shouting an unfamiliar name as he sprinted across the hall. It took too turns around a corner, and the fear of an asthma attack, for Tsuna to stop chasing him, remaining stranded in a hallway with no clue where to go.

"Where is everybody?" Just a second ago, she recalled the maids and butlers quietly going about their business, and the guards stationed at each corner. So where was everybody now? She knew better than to assume that the section she was in could be deserted, but the silence did little to reassure her. Tsuna resorted to wandering, her legs taking her wherever the wished, as she slowly tried to map out the building. Despite her efforts though, she had the distinct feeling she was going deeper into the mansion instead of towards the front door. Eventually she stopped, her legs too tired to continue. She collapsed on the floor, prepared to cry until someone heard her, when her gaze travelled up to a harmless painting.

She had already seen countless of them along the way, and like most of them, it was a portrait. The man was handsome, young, with blonde hair that reminded her of her brother's, but what really caught her was his eyes. The colour was even more striking than her own, an orange that reminded her of a sunset. Under his powerful gaze all she could do was sit silently.

" _Che cosa stai facendo qui, ragazza? E chi sei?_ " A harsh voice snapped her out of her daze, as she was roughly pulled up and forced to face the owner. There was a flash of something, a smouldering, deep orange that clouded her vision for a brief fraction of a second. When it disappeared Tsuna was rewarded with the white of a buttoned shirt. Bringing her gaze up, she flinched meeting his angry red eyes with her own amber ones. Her mind blanked, as his intimidating red-eyes pinned her in place.

" _Mi d-dispiace_ ," Her words were heavily accented but she managed to stutter them out, all the while trying to translate his previous question. The young stranger glared her down, an annoyed growl building in his throat as he tapped his foot impatiently. Her eyes though blurred with tears, were an unusual colour, and as his gaze flicked up to the portrait behind her, he felt a strange feeling pool in his gut. There was an uncanny resemblance between the two, so much so that one would have to be an idiot to miss it. " _Ah, io sono Sa-Ietsuna Sawada."_

"Sawada?" He growled out the name in distaste. To think he had let his child wander the mansion as if it were a playground. Though the stranger thought he was supposed to have a son, not a daughter. "Your Italian is choppy and bad," He criticised harshly, turning to what should've been the kid's native tongue, "What are you doing here, you should've been told it's out of bounds."

"I-, this is my first time here, sir," She said softly, turning her eyes down and trying to be as polite as possible, "I was following my brother and I got lost."

"Brother?" it was a plausible explanation and he allowed it, turning on his heels and all but dragging her along with him.

"Ano, where are we going?" Tsuna asked nervously, running a little to keep his brisk pace. The hand that held her was rough and calloused, much like her fathers, except with a warmth that somehow put her at ease, regardless of how hard he seemed to be gripping.

"Back out to the foyer," The stranger replied, "There one of the servants can take you to your father, tra-" he cut himself off just as a bad habit seemed to pop out, almost biting his tongue in the process. He had promised his own father that he would behave, cutting down on the swearing and slander was merely part of that. In fact he was counting helping the lost girl as his good deed for the day.

"Ietsuna," The girl replied, assuming he had just tried to call her name, "That is my name."

"Right." He didn't know why but she seemed to smile at him. She was as idiotic as her father and the runt that was her brother.

* * *

He found that tiny girl again the next time the CEDEF head came in to hand in his report, roughly two weeks later. She was right there, sitting on the rug, entranced once again by Primo's picture. He stood by to observe her, wondering how long a kid could sit there. His question was left unanswered as in the end it was his own patience that ran out first. He cleared his throat loudly, satisfied when she spun around shocked and scared. And for a reason unknown to him, she let out a sigh of relief after seeing him, the complete opposite reaction he got from most others. "I thought I told you this place was off limits." He didn't grab her this time. Very conscious of the fact Iemitsu had been distraught at the bruise he had left on her arm the first time, not that the blond idiot knew it had been him.

"I got lost again," She said a little despairingly, "I thought that if I waited here you would find me again." It almost made him laugh. In the end she had been merely waiting for him to show up.

"And if I never came?" he asked, feeling himself in a rare good mood. There was something about the child, maybe it was her innocence or apparent inability to do him harm, that brought a lightness to his heart. It was refreshing in a place like this.

"But you did." Tsuna replied with a bright smile that didn't belong in a place like this. Papa her told her and Yoshi to always trust their guts, and in this case she was glad she had.

"So I did." It was his own intuition that had brought him back here at this time, something he noticed acted up a lot around her. "Your father won't be done for some time," He stated, walking ahead and indicating for her to follow, "As such I'll see to it that you stay out of trouble."

"Ah, thank you." She stumbled in her haste, her steps not nearly enough to keep up with his long strides. He didn't slow though, merely waiting for her in front of a pair of heavy set doors at the end of the hall. "Where are we? Um…sir."

"My name is Xanxus, not sir," He corrected awkwardly, pushing open the ornate door, "And this is my office."

* * *

Tsuna quickly found residence on what she believed must have been the comfiest couch in the world. After the first few visits she had memorized the path to the painting and from there it wasn't very hard to find Xanxus' office. It was as extravagant as the mansion itself, shelves filled with a range of books, expensive vases put on display on high pedestals, and furniture made of only the highest quality material.

The owner of the room wouldn't have settled for any less, a discontent frown sitting on his face as he read through pages and pages of detailed paperwork. Similarly, Tsuna was sitting in the corner of a long couch, flipping through the pages of her own book. It was a guide to Italian written in Japanese, and a gracious donation from her brother who claimed to have finished it already. It was tough, seeing as her Japanese was limited to that of a seven year old's, and more often than not she was forced to request help from the scowling teen. He helped once, reluctantly twice, and after the nth question, he decided he was going to stop speaking Japanese completely. Xanxus reasoned, if she only spoke in Italian, she would learn it quicker, ignoring the fact that they hardly talked to one another.

" _Xanxus._ " A lot of people frequented his office for one reason or another, and in particular Tsuna recognized a glasses wearing brunet who never failed to set her nerves on edge.

" _What have I told you about interrupting me at this time, Ottavio?_ " The young leader said irritably, glancing at the small girl who tried to hide herself behind her flimsy book.

" _Not to do it._ " His subordinate replied with an uncaring shrug. Once or twice his eyes slid over to his guest in interest, but he knew to stay silent about it.

" _Trash,_ " Xanxus mumbled under his breath, sighing as he stood, " _Ietsuna, I'll be back in a bit. By then your idiot father should be done._ " They left her alone in the room, exchanging sharp sounding words on the other side of the door. Tsuna's little book seemed to lack a lot of the key words so it wasn't as if she could make sense of the conversation. Instead she let her gaze flit about the room. At Xanxus' ornate chair, the filled bookshelves, fancy pens and numerous emblems. There was one thing she could see though, clearly labelled on nearly everything in the mansion and sometimes uttered by the swarms of suited men if they were feeling chatty. _Vongola._

* * *

"Where do you go?" Yoshi finally asked after two months into her move, and consequently four of Iemitsu's report hand-ins. Maybe he was curious, or maybe he had actually begun to feel a little bad after the lecturing he had been given about abandoning his sister the one time Tsuna returned late.

"I found a quiet place to read," She answered with a smile, "And usually someone leads me back to the foyer when Papa is finished."

"Is that so?" He narrowed his eyes, looking as sceptical as a child could.

"How about you?" His sister returned the question, "You always run off straight away."

"I have a friend in the mansion," Ieyoshi said, confessing much more easily than his twin, "We usually play in the yard together. You can come too if you want."

"It's ok." She declined. It was strange, considering the whole reason she had come to Italy was because their mother believed they couldn't live apart. "I'm alright by myself." She said slowly, as the realisation slowly sank in.

"Tsuna?" Her brother gave her a concerned look but her thoughts had already flown far away. Their family wasn't like all the other kids she had seen in Namimori. Papa had always been gone, sending postcards anywhere from the arctic to a desert. Then Yoshi had gone as well, and because she was too weak she had gone ahead and left Mama alone. Their family was split she realized, not because there was a lack of love, they just were. Mama wouldn't be coming here, and if things stayed the same they wouldn't be going back. Tsuna began to feel the beginnings of guilt. If she was fine without Yoshi then she didn't need to be here, and in that cases Mama shouldn't be alone.

* * *

" _Let's go._ " She was staring at Primo's portrait again today, and he may or may not have come to find her after she failed to arrive 10 minutes after the usual time. His intuition, however weak it was, had been acting up today. It put him on edge, and had his hand twitching to touch the gun tucked away in his waistband.

"Xanxus _-_ " He felt his heart stop as the girl seemed to gaze frightfully at something, someone, behind him. Everything around him halted briefly before his body and mind clicked into action mode. He drew his gun before anything else, firing the moment he knew it would hit. The man fell to the ground with a scream, clutching his bloodied knee, not even given enough time to plead for his life before a second gunshot rung out, leaving him dead with a bullet in his head. Quick and efficient. He sighed as the prickling feeling of potential trouble faded.

"A-a…" Her eyes widened to an impossible degree, her already light skin paling to an ashen tone as she watched dark blood, stain the already red carpet. He was silent and unmoving, eyes dulled like fish at the market, and mouth agape as if he was still gasping. Her ears were ringing from the blast of the gun, and her throat seemed to clench, refusing to take in more than short puffs of air. In horror she grabbed at her throat, eyes tearing as less and less oxygen made it into her lungs, her body refusing to work as her heart rate sped up.

"Oi!" Someone shook her shoulder and she tore her eyes away from the red of blood to meet a whole other shade entirely. "Ietsuna, calm down," He spoke to her comfortingly, a rare tone in his usual gruff voice, "Breathe." Xanxus turned the child away from the body, going as far to pick her up as he doubted those trembling legs could walk. Once again he looked to the benevolent face of his predecessor. Those sharp, fiery eyes looked down and watched over them, imbuing a sense of obligation in him. Primo lived to protect, it was his raison d'etre, and as Xanxus looked to the frail girl in his arms he felt that maybe the Vongola Primo hadn't been a complete idiot.

* * *

 **A/N** And that's it :)

Most chapters will end up being about 2000-2500 words, a bit on the short side.

Just an introduction to Xanxus, who will remain a memorable figure to Tsuna and a kick start to the mafia life.

Basically what he says to her early on is "Oi what are you doing, girl," and "Who are you" and Tsuna is just apologizing and trying to introduce herself. Usually I'll be writing english in italics but for this instance it's in Italian just because :)


	3. Homebound

**A/N** Helloo!

If you could've guessed from the title, Tsuna's brief stint in Italy is almost over. I realise there's a lot more she could have done (like meet Gokudera) but it was more about the experience here that affects her rather than her stirring up others... although, there is one more character she meets :)

And a heads up, in this chapter there is some Italian (the italics) that Tsuna understands, but its in a dream so they are able to understand one another through merely that fact (Otherwise I doubt the other would understand the Japanese she's speaking).

* * *

 **~Chapter 3 – Homebound**

" _I was wondering if you have any tips on night terrors._ " Iemitsu wondered aloud as he collected a new set of files for his next mission.

" _Are you having nightmares?_ " His elderly boss asked, more concerned than amused.

" _Non, Timoteo,"_ The blonde denied, " _My daughter has had some terrible dreams of late. Her brother gets concerned and wakes her up if they get too bad, but I worry that her health will suffer at this rate._ "

" _Well, all fears originate from something,_ " Timoteo stated wisely, " _If you could get her to talk about her problem she might find some closure…_ " As they talked, a particular red-eyed teen standing off to the side furrowed his brows. The only reason he was here was because a certain someone had not stopped by lately. Luckily for him he seemed to have just found his answers to her absence, something he appreciated even if it came with a bucket of guilt.

" _She can't know,_ " The head of CEDEF clenched his jaw in worry, his next words surprising most in the room besides the old man, " _Ietsuna will never be involved with the mafia._ "

* * *

Not even her dreams were safe. When Tsuna slept she saw red and death. Sometimes she got shot, feeling an imaginary pain that tore her heart, and sometimes it was someone else, and that felt just as bad if not worse. She was simply afraid.

 _"That's not so bad…"_ Usually she would've been alone to witness the imaginations of her nightmare, today though, there was someone else beside her in the void. They were standing behind her, speaking in a quiet, whispered voices, with the same childlike limbs as hers, hanging just outside of her vision.

"It's horrible." She couldn't tear her eyes away as she envisioned Xanxus getting gunned down, bleeding out on the already red floor.

 _"So he got shot,"_ Her guest replied, _"Personally I think that is an easier way to go…"_

"No one deserves to get hurt like that," Tsuna answered naively, as a child would... as they should.

 _"Even someone like him?"_ The scene flashed to a man she had only met for mere moments before he was gunned down, and as clearly as she remembered his death, Tsuna also remember how he had aimed his own weapon at Xanxus. _"Would you have rather you friend die?"_

"No one should have to die, no one should have to be hurt-"

 _"But that's not how things work, not in the mafia."_ And then all of sudden she seemed to see something else. Thousands of terrible images intruding and seizing hold of her mind. There was dirtied white and there was cold, steel tables. The sound of kids screaming and crying, the smell of blood and fear and death…

"Get out!" These weren't hers.

 _"See,"_ The voice sounded far too tired now, _"Getting shot isn't so bad. It's a quick end at least-"_

"No more," Tsuna felt beyond exhausted and knew she would only wake up feeling worse, "I want to go home."

 _"When you wake up you will be home-"_

"No," She shook her head, "Home isn't here." She didn't want to be 'here' anymore.

 _"And where will you go?"_

"Japan, Namimori, where Mama is waiting." The girl didn't want to dream of death anymore.

 _"So you're running away? Coward."_ He taunted her but she got the feeling that he wanted to do the same.

"There is nothing wrong with running." The dream began to fade, a sure sign of her waking, and on impulse she turned. What she caught sight of, however briefly, was a sheen of colour. It was a ghostly shade between blue and purple, and so transparent she doubted her eyes. Her instincts though, would have her remember this colour for years until she met the owner again. And she would, she just knew she would.

* * *

 _"What are you doing here?"_ Xanxus let out a tired sigh as his men opened the door for the amber-eyed girl. It had been another couple of months and he had doubted she would ever return after seeing the truth of the bloodstained mansion. He reminded himself for the umpteenth time that she was apparently a civilian, and that him shooting someone in front of her had been a major mistake. _"I doubt you're lost again seeing as you made it all the way to my room."_

 _"Papa, is at a meeting…"_ He stared at her, waiting for the questions, but she said nothing and sat herself in her usual spot. He looked her over, noticing the bags she had under her eyes. She was about half his size, less than half his age and suffering with what appeared to be lack of sleep from nightmares most likely cause by him. He supposed he would just let her be. It also helped that she made his office feel a little less stifling. _"Did he die?"_ She asked about a minute into the silence, and for a second he had to think about who she was talking about. Did she mean the no-name traitor?

 _"Of course,"_ He replied succinctly, _"Most humans don't survive a bullet through the skull."_

 _"Oh."_ The both fiddled with what they had on hand, Tsuna with her book and Xanxus with his papers, neither really doing anything productive. _"Xanxus."_ He tensed, not quite ready for the imposing second question. How would he answer her?

 _"Yes, Ietsuna?"_ There was an exceptionally long pause, but eventually she met his gaze with her own. Strong and determined, just a little watery from withheld tears.

 _"Why?"_ It was such a loaded question, but he felt she at least had the right to know, despite her father's obvious attempts at keeping her in the dark. So he told her, in the simplest way someone her age could probably understand.

 _"We are Vongola, and we are mafia."_

* * *

A single promise from Xanxus was enough to stop her nightmares. It wasn't the one she had asked for, but it was more than she could have hoped for, all things considered. With it Tsuna had begun to enjoy her father's report deliveries as much as Yoshi did, both children eager to see their friends within the mansion. She hummed happily as she watched Xanxus work, diligently reading through paperwork even with his violent tendencies. In the past few months she was slowly but surely working her way through the easier books on his shelf, whilst lying on her favourite couch. She no longer questioned him; in fact, she honestly didn't want to disturb him. Apparently Xanxus was trying his hardest in work so his father would pick him as successor. Despite having three other brothers he thought himself the most worthy, and Tsuna too thought he would do a good job. He was kind after all.

 _"It's creepy when you smile like that."_ His rough voice sounded tired, most likely due to the fact he hadn't slept properly in days. He couldn't believe the kid had the gall to lie and that comfy couch relaxing whilst he was slaving away at his rigid desk. _"Move."_ He ordered abruptly, as he walked over, picking her up and throwing her onto the throne-like armchair, taking the couch for himself. He fell asleep quickly, the blurry image of her overlapping with his ancestor as she watched him with those striking eyes.

 _"Sleep well."_ The girl chirped as she prepared to leave. By the time she had reached the door his soft snoring reached her ears and she had to stifle a giggle. She was surely going to miss this, and some part of her mind wondered if it would be okay not to tell him. Of course not, her childish judgment reasoned that they weren't even close. She saw him maybe twice a month for a couple of hours, and whilst she enjoyed his company she had no idea if he thought the same. To him, she was likely just another unimportant person that, every once in a while, occupied his couch and read his books. Either that or somehow her papa had gotten him to babysit her, an unlikely but not impossible thought. Tsuna surmised that in the end he shouldn't care if someone like her disappeared.

* * *

"Tsu-chan, welcome home." Nana tried her hardest not to cry, but the tears just wouldn't stop flowing after she embraced her daughter. Almost a year after she had left for Italy, the girl had returned, soothing her mother's lonely heart.

"I missed you Mama." Tsuna sighed into the warm hug. She hadn't realised how much she had missed her mother and felt worse for leaving her alone.

"How was Italy? Did you like it there? How are your brother and father doing?" The woman shot out questions like a machine gun, chattering happily as she led her daughter to their car.

"It was loud, full of a lot of different people," the girl replied with a wide smile, "But it was nice. And Papa and Yoshi are doing fine."

"And you Tsuna?" Nana spoke with a softer tone, packing the light luggage into the boot, "Do you think you're ready to try school again?"

"Hai." Brown eyes caught the sight of something swinging around her neck, only then noticing the peculiar necklace.

"What a cute feather," She complemented, unfamiliar with the red-brown markings, "Where did you get that from?"

"A friend!" Her daughter chirped cutely, closing her hand around the soft plumage.

"Well then, next time we go on vacation you'll have to introduce me, ne?" Tsuna smile faltered but she nodded anyway. Honestly she planned to never go back there, especially if her mama wanted to go as well.

* * *

Unfortunately for Tsuna, her first day in Namimori elementary was roughly a month into the schooling. Sadly this meant that most kids had already formed their little groups, and though they might find a new student interesting, Tsuna was different. She patted down her fringe one more time, making absolutely sure her eyes were covered, before stepping through the door. No one in Italy had minded, but she still remembered her first day at kindergarten, and how they had been called weird. So, with the problem apparently solved, she stepped through the door and promptly tripped over her own feet.

"Are you alright!" The teacher was quick to help her but the 'damage' was already done, the whole class laughing loudly at her. It was beyond embarrassing but Tsuna stood her ground. It was difficult to see from behind her fringe, but she'd rather be called clumsy for tripping than weird for her eyes.

She fell a lot early on, over her own feet and small ledges, garnering a lot of scrapes and bruises. And then, when she had mostly figured it out, she started to fall because of small, unexpected shoves and pushes. It was only a short while after that she realized she was being bullied. But this much was fine, and Tsuna endured it easily as the days ticked past.

"Hey look, it's Dame-Tsuna," her classmates would say when she entered the room. It was not as if everyone around her was a bully, just that many were, and even more were willing to just sit by and watch. The boys were always the loudest ones, tripping her, threatening her, whilst most of the girls wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, at most carving insults into her desk. It was easy to ignore if she just blocked them out. All she had to do was study, pass the given tests, and graduate.

"Tsu-chan, we're here." Her mother parked the car, dropping her off at an old, traditional building. It seemed while Tsuna was fine with how her life was her mother had other thoughts. At least if her daughter learned some self-defence she could protect herself better when in danger.

"Welcome!" An elderly man greeted as she entered the dojo, "You must be Ietsuna-chan, right?"

"Hai," She bowed politely, surprised the large room was empty, "Did I get the time wrong?"

"Haha, not at all," His eyes were kind and Tsuna found herself relaxing in his presence, "The style of martial arts here isn't as popular as you'd expect. In fact, most people tend to drop it when the work becomes too demanding."

"I see." Even she didn't quite know what she was to be supposed to be doing, her mother opting for one of the vaguer options compared to sports like karate and judo.

"Getting new students is rare though, so don't be surprised if you are alone," He continued, his words relieving Tsuna more than anything else. She wasn't good at dealing with other people so the idea of learning alone sounded pleasant. "So how old are you, Ietsuna-chan?" Her future sensei asked, bending down slightly to address the small girl.

"I turned eight this year." She replied dutifully.

"Hohoho, your making me feel ancient already," He thought she was adorable, and looked to be a hard worker. A promising student if he ever saw one. "I'm Fujimoto Minoru." And maybe, just maybe, she could be the one he had been searching for.

* * *

The year ended quietly, with the next one beginning seamlessly. Yoshi found time to visit near Christmas, still looking as happy and as bright as when Tsuna had last seen. He didn't know, her gut told her, he hadn't found out…yet, and it was that 'yet' that worried her. Papa was mafia, and mafia was like the yakuza or something. And maybe Yoshi might be put in danger. But what could do about it? Sawada Ietsuna was, after all, just an ordinary civilian.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading again!


	4. And Tomorrow, and the Next Day

**A/N** Hi again!

A bit more of fun with the whole 'colour-seeing, synthesia-like spin on hyper intuition'. Yes that is what it will be known as.

Other than that, this is a pretty straight forward chapter. Tsuna's just settling back into Japan.

* * *

 **~Chapter 4 – And Tomorrow, and the Next Day, and the Next Day**

Some time in her second year of school, Tsuna attracted the attention of some more unsavoury bullies, brutish kids from an older class just looking for others to pick on. It was times like this she remembered Fujimoto-sensei's lessons, and that probably meant it was ok to defend herself, but Tsuna found she couldn't raise her fists. Couldn't... wouldn't, hurting others just didn't appeal to her. Getting pushed around wasn't something new to her, and their hits, though bruising, were light enough to be nothing more than an inconvenience. At least if they were here with her they weren't bothering some other unfortunate student.

"What are your herbivores doing?" It was the first time she had heard the distinct growl of the school prefect. She turned her gaze upwards from his looming shadow and was blindsided by a flare of purple. It wasn't such a far cry from getting the sun in her eyes, and reminded Tsuna so much of the time she spent in Italy. Why it did so was beyond her, but it was gone an instant after it appeared. She couldn't even be sure it wasn't her imagination, but something told her it was important. Even without the gut feeling, she doubted she would ever forget such a beautiful colour.

"Shit, it's Hibari!" Despite the number advantage, despite the size advantage a couple of them had, their fear was palpable. After all, no one had come out unscathed from a meeting with the bloodthirsty prefect.

"For sullying the school grounds of Namimori," His steel gaze swept over them, more imposing than any adult they had seen, "I'll bite you to death."

* * *

The flashes of colour were something she could not decode. Tsuna had no idea what they meant to her, and why she was seeing something so out of the ordinary. She wasn't sick, her eyesight was fine and her body otherwise healthy. The colours were completely harmless or so it seemed, and rare in their appearances… or so she thought.

This time Tsuna found herself seated at the back of the classroom, near the window after a recent seat change. And in front of her was the school's up and coming baseball star, Yamamoto Takeshi. He hadn't noticed her, but her eyes were all but glued to him, for reasons not altogether different from the other girls in the class. He was the closest the school had to a male idol after all. Popular, friendly, handsome enough to be noticed by even kids… so even Tsuna watched him with a bit of awe, just enough to see a bit of glimmer on the back of his shirt. Some quick blinks confirmed it wasn't going to disappear anytime soon, so she allowed herself to simply sit back and admire the charming blue.

* * *

"Get going, Herbivore." The disciplinary head didn't even spare her a second glance, roughly kicking the groaning teen underneath him into unconsciousness. He may have been just a child himself, but he had early on separated himself from the weak pack.

"Arigatou, Hibari-senpai." Tsuna bowed her head politely, wincing at the aches in her body. How long had this been going on for now?

"Hn." He watched her stand and walk away as if she hadn't taken a beating, steps steady and head held up. It further cemented his suspicions that Sawada Ietsuna was not just an herbivore but other than that he had no proof other than the restless boiling of his blood, an unknown sort of basic predatory instinct. In fact he had bitten her to death more than once purely out of curiosity, and each time she had simply taken his blows without an ounce of resistance, landing herself in an infirmary bed.

Tsuna herself was hard pressed not to turn around, to keep her eyes away from the diminishing colour surrounding the older boy. It truly flared to life when he fought, and in times after the battle like this, it faded away. A violent violet she mused to herself, finding it more funny that she should have. Returning to her classroom only to pick up her bag, Tsuna left the school leisurely, tilting her head to better hear the heavy thwack of a hardball on metal that rang out steadily. She detoured through the Namimori streets, lingering at displays of flowers, and peeking into the cosy art stores.

What had caught her eye in the end was a single wisteria petal, blown over from some distant trees only to lie unprotected by the road. Tsuna picked it up with gentle hands, cradling it carefully until she reached her home. She greeted her mum almost absentmindedly before immediately heading into her room. The leather-bound book the girl needed was already sitting on her desk and she wasted no time opening it. Out of the 40 or so pages inside, all but four were blank, and those four themselves almost made up for it on their own. Flowers, scraps of cloths, scribbles of pencils and patches of paint decorated each one, only separated by the people they reflected. The petal she picked up was settled into the page she had reserved for the prefect of their school, and she prayed that he never found out about her almost obsessive habit, amongst the other coloured objects. The whole page had been assaulted by purples and violets, some lighter some darker, but all frustrating close to the shade that he wore…that he was.

* * *

Nana had registered daughter for martial arts lessons twice a week, and for 4 whole years she had attended each one diligently. There had never been a day where she or her teacher had been absent, a small miracle especially whenever flu season came around. Ietsuna hadn't thought that today would be different, besides the fact he had promised her some sort of 'long-time student' gift. Long-time was a bit of an exaggeration, but then again Fujimoto Minoru was just that sort of person.

His name had been on the tip of her tongue when she entered, but was muted as instead a stranger greeted her. What she saw first was the glow of a new colour, a wisp-like ball of deep red. It thumped quiet and steady, like a beating heart, exuding a sort of strength that echoed in the dojo.

"You must be Ietsuna-chan," His voice was high pitched and his entire form concealed in baggy, purple clothes. She couldn't even see his eyes behind the sun glasses he chose to wear despite their indoor location. "Minoru told me about you."

"Is Fujimoto-sensei busy today?" She asked curiously, feeling safe in the presence of this stranger. He had the same presence as her usual teacher if not calmer.

"Ah, I guess you could say something like that," He brought a hand to his chin, his sleeve completely obscuring the limb as if it were several sizes too long, "I'm supposed to inform you that he's chosen a peaceful retirement, and will no longer be able to teach you. Though he did say his time spent with you was definitely enjoyable."

"What?" Tsuna was taken aback. She had never seen any signs of her sensei wanting to retire other than his age. "Is my training over then?" It hadn't really sunk in that he was gone, and she was still half-expecting him to pop out with a 'Surprise!'.

"Not at all," The purple clad stranger informed, "I owed Minoru a favour and he requested that I teach you in his place." Of course, for how long was left up to him, but his old friend seemed adamant that Ietsuna would impress.

"And who exactly are you?" She asked eyeing him up and down, lingering on the red. It was just as breath-taking as the others, close to a garnet or maybe the wine that Xanxus had always drank in his tall glasses… she would have to start a new page…

"Oh, how rude of me," He gasped realising he had yet to introduce himself, "My name is Fon, and I suppose to you I am your teacher's teacher."

* * *

She was amazing. Fon had never aspired to become a martial arts teacher but along the way he had met a handful of people he had been willing to pass his knowledge on to. It was never much but they appreciated his efforts, taking in the basics of his renowned style and incorporating it into their own. After all these years there were three, maybe four people that could claim to have received his teachings, and each one had passed down his lessons, attempting to instil the spirit of his martial arts into their students. The results each time had somewhat unconvincing, so when Minoru had called in his favour, he had been doubtful. No matter how much trust and faith he had in the man, or how much the elder would praise his only student, Fon could not confirm this so called 'potential' until seeing her for himself.

And then they met. Outwardly she came off as an unremarkable child, small and unsure, always hiding behind her hair. She was the type of person you could pass on the street without even a second glance, and yet something inside him kept him from simply looking away. And he was glad it had. Her movements were fluid and beautiful, strong, containing all the confidence she seemed to lack. The moment he had asked her to demonstrate her learning, his eyes had been glued to her form. His student had imbued in her the basics, drilling the simple moves into her for four long years. It was sly of the old man, creating nothing less than the perfect, blank foundation that would tempt any martial artist.

"Just like that." Fon guided her hand, shadowing her as he adjusted her form. Fujimoto's gift to her was still here and didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

"Hai, Fon-sensei." Tsuna dedicated the motion to memory. It was only recently that he could help her directly, before staying far away in his ambiguous form. She didn't quite understand it but it seemed her current master was a bit more than an ordinary human. When they had first met he had been an infant in disguise, his small form and pitched voice that of a child, and when he had revealed himself as such, she had been stunned. After all, how was a child so smart? Mature? Skilled? It did not add up but she was forced to remain dissatisfied with her unresolved questions and the lack of answers she received.

"Soon you will be leaving elementary school," Her mysterious teacher stated giving his student an appraising look, "You will have more work. Are you willing to continue with martial arts?"

"Yes," She replied with a smile, "I enjoy it and it would make Mama and Fujimoto-sensei happy."

"Good," The child nodded in approval, his wise eyes misplaced on his innocent face, "I might be a little busier in the coming years, but I think it's time you learnt more than the basics."

"What will I be learning?" The young girl asked, stepping out of the kata and into a relaxed position.

"I'm not sure yet," Her master said thoughtfully, "I suppose I'll do some research to find a style suited to you… Otherwise I'm sure we could make something unique." She was excited, he could tell by the sparkle of light in her eyes. Fon felt his lips tend into a smile, maybe he was a little excited as well.

* * *

For Tsuna, the first year of middle school looked to be no different than her final year of elementary. Namimori was a small town, and as such all the faces in her technically new class, were familiar. Nothing in her life had changed. She still practised martial arts, although whether or not her new sensei was present would vary, the strange 'man' disappearing frequently due to his work. Bullies still harassed her with their petty-mindedness and Hibari still bit them, and occasionally her, to death. There was nothing new. If there was one thing that bothered her, it was the absence of her twin, his visits with their father becoming more and more spread out to merely once a year. She was worried because whenever she thought of Yoshi she ended up thinking of her father, then of Italy, then of the red-eyed man she so fondly remembered, before her thoughts finally settled on the mafia.

Her father worked in the mafia, that was certain, and she wondered if her brother knew. It was very likely considering how they hadn't even attempted to hide it from them when they were young, it was simply too hard for them to imagine. Yoshi was smart, so by now he should understand, but the same time her brother was an idiot and she could only pray that their father wouldn't involve him.

No matter how many books she read, how hard she studied or trained, there was nothing to distract her from the feeling of helplessness in her stomach. Tsuna had found herself wishing more than once, for her ignorance to return. The fears she had as a child had been soothed by Xanxus' promise, a very unrealistic promise that weakened in strength over the years. Naively she tried to hold onto those words, but as the years passed she came to understand that she had been told a little white lie. Now the only one that could help her was herself.

"Herbivore." The growl was enough to tell her it was time she stopped laying around. Much to her bullies surprise the girl simply stood, acting as if their hits hadn't affected her one bit. And like usual she merely looked at them with pity. "Idiotic herbivores," Hibari muttered with a ruthless smile, "Always doing the same thing again and again." He took out his tonfa, satisfied with the cowering he received, and set to work, hurting them much more than they had her. Even though Tsuna knew that they would simply do it again after their injuries healed.

"Arigato Senpai." She bowed her head, wondering if the words even reached the teen before walking away. Tsuna took odd comfort in his presence, knowing more often than not, she could rely on his help. On her way out of the school she made the mistake of putting too much weight on her left leg and found herself stumbling into another student. "Sorry," She said with a wince, trying to shy away only to be grabbed. She knew who it was the instant she saw the glimmer of blue, radiating a warmth that soothed her the closer she was

"Hey, are you alright?" He held her carefully, a calloused hand wrapping around her wrist as he helped her steady. She tried her hardest not to meet his concerned gaze, averting her eyes from his.

"Yes, sorry for the bother," She shrugged him off as politely as she could and forced herself to stand up straight, "I just stumbled a bit."

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for readin'

We're still not into the thick of the story, but when it happens, she will be swamped with potential suitors, hahaha.


	5. When it's Raining, Let the Rain Pour

**A/N** Ahoy!

And suddenly they were in middle school, right when canon-ically everything should've started. The next two, maybe three chapters will still be around these years, but you can expect the moment she enters high school, for everything mafia related to ramp up.

We have a some depressing thoughts here (teen angst and all), nothing I want to get too deep in, and the way Tsuna handles it is unusual (I mean normally you just wouldn't act like that, but hey why not).

Of course when dealing with Yamamoto Takeshi, the title has to contain the word 'rain' no? Haha...ha

* * *

 **~Chapter 5 – When it's Raining, Let the Rain Pour**

"Hey Taniguchi-senpai, do you know who that is?" Once again Yamamoto found his eyes on her small form, somehow unable to forget the thinness of her wrist or the quiet tone of her voice.

"That?" Taniguchi squinted his eyes, following where the baseball ace was pointing, "Isn't that Dame-Tsuna, Yamamoto?"

"Dame-Tsuna?" The younger echoed, wondering if it was some sort of weird nickname. He knew his senpai wasn't one to pick on people, and the way he said it, so matter-of-factly, didn't really sit right with him.

"Well that's what everyone's been calling her for as long as I can remember." He explained.

"Why?" Takeshi questioned curiously. Wasn't it mean?

"Who knows," His senpai idly threw a ball into the air, catching it with his mitt as he spoke, "Someone must have started it during elementary and it stuck. She's never says anything about it so everyone keeps on using it… not that they would stop even if she did."

"I see…" He watched as she passed someone in the corridor, stumbling as they attempted to trip her. Without making a single fuss she straightened her books and merely moved on, ignoring the obvious snickers of the offenders.

"So what's with the sudden interest?" Taniguchi asked with a raised brow, "Most people either bully her or ignore her. In fact it looks like you didn't even know she existed until now." Whilst his words were said uncaringly, Takeshi couldn't help but feel uneasy with the whole situation.

"I just bumped into her yesterday." He answered vaguely. He recognized those that had walked into her, remember them as normal, friendly guys from the class over. Or at least they had been towards him. "Hey Senpai," Yamamoto began, idly changing the subject, "I feel like I haven't been improving much these days, do you have any tips?"

"You're the last one on this team that needs to improve," The older baseballer replied generously, "But if you're so bothered by it, putting some more effort in couldn't hurt."

* * *

"Dame-chan~" Yamamoto felt his head snap around as he heard the voice, eyes widening in disbelief, turning around to see the girl who had been plaguing his thoughts sitting only a few seats behind him. He couldn't believe the fact that they were even in the same class. How could he have not noticed?

"Dame-Tsuna, you should answer when spoken to." A particularly mean looking kid said, when the girl refused to look up from her worn book. The baseball star, as fantastic as his eyesight was, couldn't make out the title, lacking the knowledge to translate the foreign-looking language.

"Maa, maa guys," He raised his voice a bit, not really wanting to be a bystander of such obvious bullying... anymore that is, "We'll be late to our next class if we don't hurry." She pulled out her bookmark, an unusual looking feather, and closed he book shut. Her head tilted up ever so slightly, and he had to wonder if she was looking at him behind her fringe.

"Ah, Yamamoto's right." As if he spoken the magic words their class filed out, chatting amongst one another loudly, with the exception of he and Tsuna. The girl packed up slowly, her fingers fumbling more than once. It seemed her clumsiness wasn't a lie as he watched the girl knock her pencil case over, spilling its contents onto the floor. Forever the helpful classmate, he immediately went to help her.

"P-please don't mind me." Tsuna stuttered out, her voice exactly as he remembered. Gentle and warm, it was a honeyed tone that wasn't quite as airy or high as the other girls, utterly enchanting in it's rareness.

"It's fine," He gave her his best smile, noticing her skin flush red, "Are you alright, Tsuna-chan?"

"Tsuna-chan!?" Her voice reached a fairly high note, and she instantly clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Haha…was that rude of me?" He wondered, "I just figured calling you Dame-Tsuna would be worse, and since I don't actually know your name..."

"Ietsuna, Sawada Ietsuna," The brunette gave, breathing methodically to calm her racing heart. Why was Yamamoto Takeshi, the ever-popular baseball ace, even talking to her? She could feel her face burning, utterly thankful she had her hair to hide behind.

"I think I like saying Tsuna more." Yamamoto commented as he felt the name roll off his tongue. She blushed harder if that were even possible. Quickly Tsuna picked up the rest of her things, ignoring each and every time they touched hands, which was too often for her poor heart.

"Thank you for your help, but we should get going Yamamoto-kun." She stated, running through her words as if she couldn't get away fast enough.

"Hai, Hai." He watched her dash through the doors with a goofy grin, somewhat surprised when she poked her head back in not even seconds later.

"And Yamamoto-kun," She began, nervously biting on her bottom lip, "Don't push yourself too hard."

* * *

He should have listened to her, completely regretting the extra hours after school he had put into training. Ironically, despite his teammate's words, the extra effort had hurt. It seemed in his overzealous practise he was careless enough to have gotten in a small accident. One that, whilst wasn't life-threatening, was bad enough to rob him of his dominant arm for the next few months. A broken arm. It was harmless enough that his father had sent him on his way after a small lecture, angrier at the fact he wouldn't be getting more help around the restaurant. The doctor had called him lucky. His arm would heal perfectly in due time and he could then return to baseball. But he had to question if he even wanted to.

The lack of results and his dropping average made his injury seem like a blessing, an irrefutable excuse that gave him more than enough time to think, to realistically re-evaluate his life. "I might not be able to play again." He had jokingly told his teammates, and through their pity and sympathies he thought he saw something else. Merely days after those words had left his mouth he had lost contact with his team, most of its members forgetting about him as they competed for the freed ace position. These were his friends Takeshi told himself, but while they still smiled back at him, he had never felt so isolated seeing the lack of warmth; of something else in their eyes other than blankness.

Meanwhile, taking a break from athletics had forced him back into the academics of school where he truly despaired. His grades were horrific and he hardly understood a thing they taught. For him it had all been fine so long as he had baseball. So long as he was good at the sport he could overlook how dismal he seemed to be at everything else. Because it was fun, and he had had fun, and it was still fun, wasn't it? But what if he had lost that talent, if he was just stagnating at a child's level, then wasn't he useless? He had tried to imagine his future and nothing seemed to come up. How could even begin to catch up when the work seemed as daunting as climbing up a never ending staircase? In reality the easiest option was to simply stop.

"Get moving, Takeshi." His father levelled him with look, one that made the teen feel like the man knew what was going through his head. He felt a little ashamed, and quickly pushed it all to the furthest parts of his mind.

"Right…" He laughed and smiled. He moved back behind his register, still able enough to man it with his left arm, "Can I help you?"

"Ah, I'll get the usual…" The teen blinked in surprise as the customer finally registered in his mind. It was a bit ridiculous and still a bit weird that he had never noticed her until just a little while ago. A classmate, who was in his homeroom, and even frequented the restaurant enough to warrant 'the usual'.

"Coming right up, Ietsuna-chan." His father replied cheerfully, already halfway through the order, his knife strokes as amazing as ever as they sliced through the fish. There wasn't much to say between the two of them, and the younger Yamamoto was feeling a bit too tired to try and strike up a conversation.

"Are you ok?" She asked. Tsuna didn't meet his eyes, but it still felt as if she was staring at him… or rather through him.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," He patted the white cast solidly, "Doc says it'll fix itself up in no time."

"That's not what I meant." She told him softly, shaking her head with a sigh.

"Here you go!" His father cut in, handing her the bag before shoving his son out from behind the counter, "Go with her Takeshi, and make sure she gets back home safely."

"It's fine really-" She failed to make a hasty retreat and her insistence fell on deft ears.

"Alright." Takeshi replied, trailing after her and out of the store. "Ne, Tsuna-chan," He called after her, "What did you mean before?" She was quiet and for a second he thought maybe she wouldn't answer him.

"You," She struggled to find the words, biting at her bottom lip in frustration, "What's wrong?"

"Nothin-"

"Don't lie to me Yamamoto-kun." The seriousness in her voice stopped his half-formed smile. So he chose to frown instead, feeling a sudden anger rise in him. What did she know? Who was she call him out on his lies? He was fine, whether or not she or his father believed him. "That's better," She continued bringing a finger to tap her lips, "People smile when they're happy and frown when they're not. It's weird if your just smiling all the time, and as tiring as it is for me to watch, it must feel worse."

"I see." His feelings, good or bad, seemed to drain out of him. Yeah, he was feeling a bit more exhausted these days. His face fell into a sort of neutral expression for the rest of the trip, his tensed muscles also loosening slightly.

"We're here." They stopped in front of a modest, two-storied home, and she led him inside without word.

"Welcome home Tsu-chan!" Takeshi looked between Tsuna and her retreating back, to her warm and welcoming mother, "Oh, Takeshi-kun is it?" She fluttered around him, pushing a cup of water into his hands and seating him at the table. They chatted briefly, and he allowed himself to soak in her refreshing enthusiasm before finding his excuse to leave. He really hadn't wanted to, but there was only so long he could intrude for.

"Yamamoto-kun," Tsuna, who had all but left him to fend for himself, showed him to the door, "This is for you." She pressed a cool jar into his hands.

"Lemons?" He eyes it curiously, looking at the yellow slices floating in an amber liquid.

"They're good for fatigue." She told him with a faint hint of red on her cheeks.

* * *

"Did you hear?" A noisy voice shouted through the hallways, "Looks like Yamamoto's going to jump off the roof." His statement had students rising from their seats, chattering loudly as they rushed up the stairs, all eager to see what was going on. Tsuna, whilst she didn't think it right or proper to crowd the suicidal teen, couldn't help but find herself lost in the flow of students. In all honesty it wouldn't have taken too much for her to turn around and walk away, but there was a nagging feeling that seemed to not want to go away. Guilt or something else she wasn't quite sure. Recently she couldn't see the gleam of blue that used to linger over his heart… either she couldn't see it or it was gone. And that meant something, what it was though, she hadn't really known until now.

"Hey Yamamoto, this isn't funny."

"You're taking this too far."

"Don't do it."

"Don't jump."

The concerns of the student body sounded like white noise to her. All buzz and no meaning. It was a fragile balance that no one wanted to test, keeping a safe distance and offering ambiguous sympathies. She wasn't one to speak, but she didn't think anyone here could understand what was going through his mind. Yamamoto stood silently, with his back turned to them on the opposite side of the rusted fence, looking out at the expanse of sky in mock peace. She looked up too, it was a beautiful clear sky, an expanse of blue though none of it matched the colour he had lost. She couldn't find it's match in flowers, cloths or paint, and slowly Tsuna realized that if he fell she would never see it again. It was heart wrenching beyond her understanding and she couldn't help but feel what a pity that would be.

"Are you going to jump?" She asked in a clear voice, stepping out of the crowd and away from the warning hisses and grasping hands reaching to pull her back. She could not compare his problems with her own, knowing very little about them, but she had never considered death a viable option.

"Saa, probably." Yamamoto deemed her worthy of his reply, looking over his shoulder in interest. It was the first time anyone had actually asked him about his plans. He hadn't realized when he had climbed over the fence, and had only really considered jumping after waves of students had begun shouting at him to not.

"Well, that's a shame." The girl that had briefly fascinated him came closer, stopping when they were only a few steps apart, "Can I have it then?" Tsuna felt detached from the whole situation, as if the one speaking wasn't her, even though deep down the voice spoke the truth. They hadn't even made it out of school yet, and he was already starting to break. There was a hole in his heart, one that he couldn't fix by himself, and it was like a cracked glass full of water that was quickly flowing out, draining him of his hopes, his dreams, his will to live. And Yamamoto was probably the one who broke it in the first place, carelessly hurtling into an early, meaningless demise.

Ietsuna could see the hole, well she couldn't actually, but her gut told her that it was there. Maybe he was missing pieces, scattered here and there, but she couldn't see those, not at all, so she settled for the next best thing. She reached out and held onto it, carefully but firmly grasping the metaphorical cup in her hands, and not allowing anymore to leak out between her fingers.

"What?" The chattering stopped as everyone seemed to hold their breath. This was Dame-Tsuna, the one they belittled, and the one who currently held all their attentions.

"Your life." A breeze blew past, pushing back her hair, and revealing to Yamamoto the rest of the face he had been so curious about. He wanted to retort, to say something, anything, but that look in her amber eyes had his mouth sewn shut. He knew for a fact that being taller, he was the one looking down at her, and yet she seemed so far above him. "If you don't want it, if you're just going to throw it away," She frowned more upset than angry, "Then I'll take it, because I do," It took a moment for the words to settle in, but when they did there was outrage. She drew shocked shouts from the crowd, of resentment, disbelief, and fury, as they threw a collective tantrum. As for the one who should have felt the most incensed… well he was the only one she really heard, her attention wholly focused on him.

"Really? Ha…ha, haha," He chuckled loudly, his fingers sliding through the holes in the fence to hold himself up. He laughed himself out, emptying all of his pent up emotions with each breath. Tsuna barely caught it, but the flash of blue was unmistakable. She released the breath she had unknowingly been holding, letting her shoulders slump in relief. "I feel like an idiot." Takeshi stated quietly, his words never reaching the sea of murmuring students behind her. "I don't even think I would have jumped," He added glancing down before back to her, "It's actually a bit terrifying over here."

"All the more reason to come back over," She told him with a smile, a smile that came from the deepest parts of her heart, something only reserved for certain people.

"Geez," He turned away from her and tilted his head up, feeling his face heat up even in this situation, "You better take responsibility for this…" He mumbled quietly, keeping it to himself.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading.

I'd like to think if Tsuna was a girl, that she'd have a crush on Takeshi in the beginning, just like how in canon he had a thing for Kyoko.

Let it be known that this will turn out harem-like, though each of her suitors play their own special role for her. (Though i wonder how the split will work. I'd like to try for equality, but I don't think the heart quite works like that...though maybe Ietsuna's does)


	6. She Forgot Why She Endured

**A/N** Heyo,

So the unspoken rule I go by is that 'everything is going to be canon unless otherwise specified'. This means you can happily assume that guardians and such will be the same, I am fond of sticking to canon... somewhat... though I may throw in a surprise twist in here somewhere.

I am trying to focus on integrating the many (sometimes too many) characters of Katekyo Hitman Reborn, but I reckon it might become a bit rushed when people start entering in swarms (and I don't want to leave people out or on the sidelines). When it comes to that I might take a chapter to pull back and reset that pace haha...hah.

For now though, there can be a lot of non-mafia related relationship building :)

* * *

 **~Chapter 6 – She Forgot Why She Endured**

"How are you Yoshi?" Ietsuna packed as much of her feelings into her words, hoping that they would make the distance.

"The same as ever," Her brother replied in a whiny tone, "School's boring, Dad's working me into the ground and I get no time to myself."

"Well, school is the same in every country then." She didn't question what their father was trying to instill in him, leaving that and everything it meant, behind. "Will you be coming back to Japan this year?" She waited, even though his pause should have been answer enough.

"I don't think so," Ieyoshi finally replied, sounding every bit as regretful as she felt, "I'm really sorry." She didn't say that 'it was fine' or that 'it was ok' doing all she could to keep her mouth shut and hold back how disappointed Mama would be.

"Maybe next year then?" Tsuna said hopefully, "Or whenever you and Papa can take a vacation."

"Of course," He was probably nodding over the phone, it was just the kind of vibe she got, "So how have you been? Anything interesting?"

"Well…" She could tell him about the stray she had inadvertently picked up, about the strange colours she saw, or of the quirky people in this small town. There was so much to say that she found the words seemed to clog up before they made their way out.

"Ieyoshi-dono!" There was a loud shout in the background, followed by crashing and the sound of her brother's multilingual cursing.

"Damn it! What have they done now?" He growled away from the phone, "Sorry Tsuna, I've gotta to go. Ciao!" And before it really registered, the beeping of the hangup tone was sounding by her ear. It was becoming one of the more frequent endings of their calls, so she wasn't feeling particularly worried as she put down the phone. Yoshi sounded healthy and still as cheerful as ever. It was a good sign, and she clung to it like a lifeline.

* * *

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna," The usual group of bullies had herded her to an isolated section behind the school, attempting to intimidate her as they surrounded her, "Looks like Hibari isn't here to save you today." Their leader spat on the ground near her feet before grabbing and pushing her up against the rough wall. They were getting smarter it seemed, and were definitely going to abuse the disciplinary head's scheduled absences from now on.

"You know what that means." A sudden but not completely unexpected punch landed on her side, forcing her to hunch forward as an unpleasant pain struck where he had hit.

"Are you pretending to be mute again?" Her face was roughly grabbed and brought closer to a sneering face.

"Tsuna? What's going on here?" A friendly voice seemed to turn hard, as the newcomer examined the situation.

"Yamamoto?" One of the brutish teens walked over to him with a bored look, "It's just the usual, nothing you should worry about."

"The usual?" Anger wasn't an expression that was usually seen on Takeshi's face, and maybe that was why when it was there, it gave them chills. "I'd appreciate it if you could leave her alone from now on." He gritted out, brown eyes narrowing.

"No can do Yamamoto," Was the curt and stupid reply received, "Now, it's best if you get going before we're forced to deal with you too." The grunt currently holding the girl decide to throw in a cheap kick at the unresisting girl, and the ordinarily friendly teen felt his restraint snap. In an instant he struck out, downing the first one with a strong sucker-punch to the face.

"What the hell, Yamamoto?" Tsuna was dropped as they turned to face their newest problem, "Don't think we'll let you go for this."

"That's my line." He slipped into a crude fighting pose, but as it turned out it was more than enough to deal with the few schoolyard bullies. They had rushed at him 2 to 1, but with certain ease he dodged the first strike, landing his own fist into the closest one's gut. And then, while the last one was still stunned, he punched him in the jaw and then kicked him to the ground. It was surprisingly easy considering the fact he was still handicapped.

"Are you alright Yamamoto?" Tsuna asked, in a slight daze. It wasn't due to the injuries, they didn't even hurt anymore, but because of how bright he had become. That glimmer that he had regained had flared, strong, vibrant. A brilliant blue. It was dimmer now though, and by the time he reached her it had buried itself again.

"Me? I should be asking you that!" He fussed, eyeing her up and down for injuries, "Why didn't you call for help? Or fight back?"

"Usually Hibari-san deals with them." She replied with a shrug. Those were the times she got to admire his violet shroud for a while.

"Usually?" He continued to parrot with a frown. Look at that, he was beginning to express himself better! "How long has this been going on for? And what happens when Hibari doesn't come?"

"Um," She thought about it, did he mean when they started getting a bit violent? Or all the way back when it started? "A while," She shrugged, "And I never come out with more than a few bruises." The other teen could barely understand how something like this could possible make any sense to her. Being hurt was something she shouldn't have to worry about or deal with, let alone be used to. It wasn't right, people didn't work like that, or at least they weren't supposed to. And she could fight, he definitely remembered her saying something about martial arts, so why didn't she resist? Weakness? Honour? Pride?

"That's not right." He told her, adopting a look of sheer determination, "I'll just have to make sure it never happens again." Maybe he didn't get it, but in the end he didn't need to. Takeshi would just take matters into his own hands.

* * *

"Yamamoto-kun." Tsuna couldn't help but smile as she met him partway to school, for the fourth consecutive time that week. The athlete's infectious grins were affecting her more than she thought.

"Mornin' Tsuna." Takeshi had already tried for a couple weeks now to get her to call him by his first name, but the girl was more stubborn than he expected, politely turning down his request. Either way he felt some sort of superiority knowing he was probably the only one in school to receive her warm smiles.

"Have you made up your mind on whether or not to continue baseball yet?" She asked idly, noting how he always went to the effort of matching her pace. It was things like this, the small almost unnoticeable things, that brightened her day. Ietsuna was slowly getting used to having someone by her side and enjoying every moment of it, hoping that it would last.

"Not yet," He stretched out his newly healed arm, enjoying the freedom of not having to wear a sling, "I was thinking of spending more time with my dad though, so maybe not." He knew his old man had a bunch of things to teach him. Maybe he would learn how to make sushi better, seeing how much his new friend enjoy eating it…

"I see." The seasons were turning and soon they would be in their second year of middle school. The normality of her everyday life was as relaxing as it was worrying. Yoshi would be coming back for a visit soon, but as of yet, she wasn't sure what she would…could ask him.

"You're thinking too much again," Takeshi poked her in the forehead much to her confusion, "If you frown so much you'll get wrinkles." His words seem to sooth her slightly. Maybe she was overthinking things.

"Ah-" She looked forward to see an unexpected roadblock, a group of rough looking teens glaring at them, "Is there something you want?"

"Looks like you're still hanging around Dame-Tsuna, Yamamoto." One of their more familiar members stated. He was right to have recruited more followers to his cause, knowing that the former baseballer would probably be difficult to take down.

"I would appreciate if you could stop calling Tsuna that." His smile was tight, barely holding in place with his current emotions, and after he heard what was said next he was forced to drop it.

"Dame-Tsuna is Dame-Tsuna," The bully repeated, aggravating the other, "Are you expecting the whole school to suddenly stop calling her what they have for years."

"I'll make them." Takeshi suddenly declared, much to Tsuna's surprise. She was fine with it. Since the few people she cared about called her by her name, why should care about anyone else?

"Don't act so high and mighty!" He swung the first punch with his victim stumbling back as the unexpected hit landed.

"Alright, if it's a fight you want…" He could already feel the sting in his cheek. There were a lot of opponents, and he was never the best at fighting… He looked over his shoulder, heart fluttering at Tsuna's concerned expression. He would protect her at least.

"I'll teach you to keep your nose out of our business." The bully threatened as he signalled his friends. The brawl broke out in a typically quiet street, not even particularly far from school. Just looking at the set-up, even an idiot could tell which way the fight would go. It was a single boy against six others, she doubted he would win. Tsuna watched it all with conflicted feelings. She saw Yamomoto's punch land in someone's gut, a clean hit that he was unable follow-up. It was lucky if he got any decent hits at all, being somewhat swamped by the group of teens. She frowned when someone kneed him in the stomach, bringing the athlete to the ground. Of course they didn't let up, taking advantage of the downed boy. What really aggravated her though, was what they tried to do after.

"Hold him just like that." Their leader stated as his cronies stretched her friend's right arm out, "Maybe if we break both arms he'll really jump." She wondered how someone could be so cruel, how they could sleep at night knowing that they would have ruined another's life.

"T-suna…" His eyes were hazy as they turned to her, no doubt taking one too many blows to the head. And when he smiled his silly smile, it was like a misplaced gear slid into place and everything in her just began to tick.

"Enough." Why exactly was she standing around watching as they hurt her friend. She probably could've handled three more years of being pushed around, but when they turned on Takeshi… What had he done to them to deserve this? The answers was nothing; and the fault lied within the bullies.

"Wait your turn Da-" She didn't even let him finish before kicking him to the ground. Tsuna had decided she no longer wanted to hear the filth from his mouth.

"Shut up," As much as the round house came as a surprise, they definitely hadn't expected the brutal axe-kick that followed as the small girl crushed their leaders face into the asphalt, "I've listened to your barking, your yapping, for years now, and not once have you said anything of importance." Tsuna's voice was bitter. She hadn't expected any change, but maybe had hoped deep down that her bullies would have grown up and stopped. "Your insults meant nothing, your hits were all weak, but I was going to allow it," Because she hadn't minded being the one hurt, and a little because it brought Hibari to her, "No more." They weren't given any time to react as she ripped them away from her friend, kicking them, stepping on them, grinding her foot into their stomachs.

"Tsuna, Tsuna! Stop, it's okay, I'm okay!" Takeshi quickly cut in as she watched her kick a fallen teen in the side. He should've been protecting her, not the other way around. But amongst his swirling emotions there was a slightly vindictive feeling in his gut he got while watching the scene, even though he knew logically what he should be saying at this point.

"You don't look okay." He winced as her foot struck someone in the groin, knowing that they would most likely feel it for days, maybe weeks.

"I am, I promise." Still, he was touched that she cared so much, not surprised about her strength in the slightest. Tsuna took one good look at him and clicked her tongue, walking her way over to the groaning leader and stepping on his arm. She gave as good as she had got, maybe more, and was prepared to deal out pain even beyond the prefect's beatings.

"If only you had left us alone… left him alone," She shook her head ruefully, speaking quiet enough that Yamamoto couldn't hear, "Well, you only have yourself to blame." The amber-eyed girl raised her leg and stomped down ruthlessly, and the arm responded with a satisfying crack, the pained screams of the petty bully meaning nothing to her. 'An eye for and eye makes the whole world blind', and that, was something she believed in. For once though, she felt petty enough to take her dues. She moved her foot off the offending limb and towards the other, but her friend was quick to react, rushing to stop her when he realized her motives.

"Herbivores." The last person anyone wanted to run into during a time when they should've been in class, let alone out on the streets with more than a few prone bodies, was the famed disciplinary leader. Luckily for them, his tone today was more intrigued than anything else. "What happened here?"

"They started a fight," Tsuna answered glaring at the bullies, "I just finished it." Even now Takeshi had to praise her guts, watching as she stood her ground even against the prefect. Was she actually stronger?

"Hn." His steely eyes swept the scene, noting the broken bodies and the girl who he had rightfully remained cautious of. No matter how much of a herbivore she had seemed to be before, the girl standing before him was clearly the opposite. Unmarred for once with her shoulders held straight and head tilted up. Finally, those eyes which had always been focused on the ground, the same eyes he only felt on him when his back was turned, were staring straight at him. The prefect saw a lot of things in that amber gaze, just as Takeshi had before him, and some of it might have moved his iron heart, but the rest sent his blood boiling.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading

Hehehe... I've become quite a fan of 8027, not that I'm going to neglect the others, but I do think he'll be special (in a 'first' kinda way), then again all her guardians will be... that is when I eventually get to them :D

Also I'm sorry bout small spelling and grammar mistakes, I just ain't a careful person.


	7. Carnivores Aren't the Only Predators

**A/N** Hello Again!

Were skipping forward a bit again, just a little less than a year, meaning Tsuna is now in her second year of middle school (making her 14ish). Still a bit to go before Reborn and the mafia Tornado hits :D

This chapter was actually quite fun to write, not that most of them aren't haha. It's mainly just a deepening of relationships, exploring some apex predators and sneaking a bit of 8027 (I say a bit but it's actually bout a third of the chapter heh).

Pretty sure there won't be a particular main couple, but it will sway a bit till we reach the promised land, aka the 'Glorious harem of Ietsuna'.

But here is the next chapter and more food for thought.

* * *

 **~Chapter 7 – Carnivores Aren't the Only Predators**

Hibari was well known for 'biting' students and adults alike 'to death', everyone was aware of the consequences of their actions within Namimori, and there were no exceptions to the rules or of his rule. It was almost ridiculous how a middle schooler, almost high schooler now, managed to reign over the area with an iron fist, not that anyone would voice this thought. And still, despite all the supposed sealed lips, there were rumours about the bloody prefect's ancestry that slowly circulated around the small neighbourhood. His father was an officer of the law, not a 'kind' one but a damn good one, of a high enough ranking that his son could continue to put people into the hospitals without any repercussions. The fact that the hospitals were owned by his mother's side of the family only added to his status. And these were the facts.

The uncertainty that was born from the grapevine, was whether or not the senior Hibari was linked to the ruthless yakuza that lingered in peaceful Namimori every once in a while. Not the Momokyokai group that held office in the shopping district, but the real bloodthirsty sort that no one wanted to whisper about. For years now, the general opinion had been leaning towards a 'yes' on this one. An heir to the group, a prestigious member, even being a cop hadn't stopped people sighting him on friendly terms with dangerous looking men.

And what if Hibari was Yakuza? Well that just meant he owned a lot more of Namimori that it appeared.

But Ietsuna had been watching him for a long time now, since the prefect first stumbled upon her and her bullies, and never once had he not been fair. It wasn't about righteousness, or kindness, but the equality he treated all with. He didn't like loitering, it crowded the already narrow hallways, but he wouldn't actually do more than snarl. Probably because said snarl cleared the area as quick as counting to three. He didn't like noise, but his mere presence demanded silence, so he didn't have to do much there either. And he didn't like bullying, because herbivores had better things to do that sully his area and attack others of their kind. The Disciplinary Head gave everyone enough warning when he disliked a situation, and if it persisted, then he would really 'bite you to death'.

That was how things were supposed to be, so when Tsuna garnered a different sort of attention, she didn't know what to do with it. He jumped her whenever he could catch her after the final bell, because waiting for her at the gate in the morning was too easy, and a prolonged fight then would impair both of their class times and learning. He hunted her down, and attacked like a bloodhound. And it was all because Tsuna had begun to fight back. She didn't even win half the time, barely holding her own the others, but she stood her ground and he apparently found her worthy enough for frequent 'spars'. She hadn't had another bullying incident since the roughly a year ago with Takeshi, but Tsuna still frequently obtained bruises. It did make Takeshi fuss and worry though, with that small furrow in his brow that would lead to early wrinkles, but there was little the former baseballer could do when his own fighting ability just wasn't up to par.

But as much as she 'enjoyed' this bonding time, an opportunity to see his purple aura bloom, even Tsuna needed a break from his pursuit. Every once in a while, she made a clean escape, shoulders hunched in as she skirted out of his range. It didn't ease the tension of possibly being caught, and kept her flinching at every rustle and footstep. Hibari was finding her more easily these days, and she almost wondered if he was at the point where he was graciously allowing her days to recover.

She sighed in relief, stepping into the dojo grounds, the place anyone had yet to breach other than her sensei and herself.

"Hie!" She couldn't help the yelp that slipped out though when she saw him standing there, as if waiting. Had he already come this far? That just wasn't fair.

"Ah, Ietsuna-chan." Tsuna realised something was off the moment her name left his mouth. And maybe if she hadn't been so surprised and slightly panicked, she would've caught it earlier. This was not Hibari Kyoya, no matter how similar they looked. For one he hadn't called her 'Herbivore', 'Omnivore' or even 'Carnivore', lacking his usual food chain/animal kingdom quotes. The seconds were ticking past and he hadn't attacked her either, hadn't asked for a fight, and that thing on his face… that was probably one of the most sincere smiles she had scene. It radiated tangible warmth, almost as much as the red wisp over his heart. There was currently only one person in Namimori Japan that used her name like that, that smiled so warmly at her, and wore that deep shade of red.

"…Fon-sensei?" She didn't know how it was possible, but the man before her was matching up with the infant martial artists in every way except for physical appearance, or rather age.

"I'm glad you recognize me, Ietsuna-chan." Perhaps he was being foolish, but for the first time in a long while he decided to indulge himself. There had been a breakthrough in the curse that held him prisoner in his own body, and he wanted to enjoy the joys of newfound freedom just as much as the others.

"How?" Tsuna looked him up and down, making sure it wasn't some trick of light, "I mean it was already weird that a baby was so advanced…but how did you grow so fast in just a month?" Realistically it couldn't have been possibly, but her intuition told her otherwise and it hadn't been wrong yet, so she forced her brain to accept it.

"It just happened," He said with a shrug, and she knew he wouldn't be elaborating anytime soon, "Now are you ready to begin? I'm sure I will prove to be more helpful in this form." He was still smiling, the deep red wisp now beating stronger than before, and that told Tsuna more than plain words could.

"Ok…" Amazingly enough, Tsuna dropped the topic, allowing him his small secrets as her mind worked away on possible theories. She had never questioned him before, always wondering but never asking where he often disappeared to. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Hibari-senpai would you?" That was the one thing she was curious about enough to ask, and something that she felt he might respond to.

"Distantly, we are." Fon replied with the same face she expected to see on the prefect in a couple years, minus the smile. Really the resemblance was almost frightening. He gently nudged her leg into place, making idle conversation in the peace. "If I remember correctly, you said your brother would be visiting soon?"

"Ah," Her face fell, her expression clearly reflecting her feelings, "Yoshi can't make it. He said Papa's really busy right now and he'll feel bad if he doesn't help out." Fon frowned too, but for a whole other reason. He just wanted the peace to last for as long as it could, but he knew that was just a futile wish, just as he knew that their time was ticking down.

* * *

Tsuna wondered when exactly her twin had created such a large chasm between them. Their monthly calls had slowly disappeared, as his yearly visits had just about ceased. She didn't know if it was by his own will, but it was obvious what the divide was. He and her papa were on one side, and she and Mama were on the other, supposedly just ignorant civilians. She worried even more now, without the reassurance of his voice, that perhaps he was already dead.

"…Tsuna? Tsunaaaa!" Takeshi waved his hand in front of his unresponsive friend's face. Her mouth was set in a tense line and her eyes somewhat dulled and distant. He had come to understand that this was the face she usually made when think about the men of her family. And maybe he would admit to being a little jealous of how they monopolized her mind so intently.

"Oh, sorry," She looked down at the shredded napkin in her hands, "I must have zoned off again… What were you saying, Yamamoto-kun?"

"Isn't it about time you called me by my first name?" Her friend replied with a wide grin, "After all, aren't we on a dat-mmph!?"

"T-takeshi-kun!" She stuttered out in complete embarrassment, yet not saying anything in disagreement. She felt silly for reacting like she did and slowly removed the hand she had covering his mouth. "…Sorry…" Tsuna mumbled, completely avoiding eye contact, much to Takeshi's disappointment. She was back to fiddling with her tattered napkin.

"Maa, I can't even feel insulted," He told her seriously, "You're too cute when you're embarrassed." There it was, Tsuna thought as her face heated up, Yamamoto's killer pitch. His frankness was just like a curveball, and like always, it was a strike.

"Y-you…" No matter how many times it happened, it was just something she failed to get used to. At first she had thought he was joking, but recently he had gone and made him intentions clear enough, even so an idiot like her could understand. What were people normally supposed to say in this situation? She had fantasised about dating the baseball star often when she first caught sight of him in her first year, what girl in Namimori Middle hadn't? Of course it had just about stopped when she became his friend the later year… If it wasn't for her mother's insinuating words she would've forgotten all about it and gotten swept up in the newfound friendship. And then he had come out of the pen with a fastball that had hit her at point-blank. Yes, her mind confirmed for the umpteenth time that day, dame-Tsuna had been asked out…on a date… by Namimori's ever-popular, in fact voted most popular by young girls, former baseball star, Yamamoto Takeshi.

"Tsunaaaaaa, Tuna!"

"Sorry!" She jumped realizing that she had been caught zoning out again. Tsuna just chalked that up as another reason why she didn't deserve him. But she would enjoy this for however long she could, because she was greedy, selfish, and she wanted to keep him by her side for one reason or another.

"It's fine." Yamamoto laughed off. And it was, because her mind was obviously still stuck on him. He nodded in satisfaction, feeling a small victory. "So where would you like to go after this?" He was done with his overly sweet drink, and the plate that held her slice of cake was clean except for a few stray crumbs.

"Maybe just the park…" Tsuna wasn't interested in any of the current movies and this way he wouldn't have to continue insisting on paying for everything.

"Oh! There's one around this area with a batting cage next to it." Excited now, he hurried her along, catching the waiter's wink on the way out with a grin. Despite all the conviction Takeshi had had when he told her he was quitting his club, it still seemed he had a soft spot for baseball. "I'll have you hitting homeruns by the end of the day," He chattered cheerfully, "Unless you already can, haha..."

"I look forward to it." Tsuna replied, getting caught up in her friend's happiness. They came across a busy intersection, and like all responsible kids, waited patiently for the lights to turn. The area wasn't as empty as usual, crowded with most Namimori students enjoying the holidays. And yet there was one nameless blur that caught Tsuna's attention. The pretty girl was just another teen, with a worrisome look on her face, nervously folded in on herself the way Tsuna would expect from a lost child. She looked like she'd blow over in the wind, just like how the wispy, indigo aura around her might just vanish.

"Ah!" A particularly rude elbow nudged into the poor girl with enough force to send her stumbling a few steps, and to Tsuna's horror, it was towards the direction of oncoming traffic. Without a word she lunged forward, grabbing the green collar of the stranger and roughly hauling her back. It happened in an instant, no one but her Takeshi and the stranger, experiencing the heart stopping moment.

"That was a close one." Tsuna murmured, helping the girl steady herself. She was lighter than expected.

"Nice save Tsuna!" Takeshi stated, giving her a warm look. His brow furrowed as he realized that someone had actually come very close to serious injury. He would be sure to pay more attention to his surroundings from now on.

"…oh, um, thank you very much." The mouse of a girl said quietly, her meek demeanour contrasting with the punk like eyepatch she had on.

"As long as you fine." She caught the one eye that was visible, sighing in acceptance as the girl became startled, and flustered before gluing her sight back to the ground. Her normally obscuring bangs had been pinned back, as per Takeshi request, and she had almost forgotten how much her eyes unsettled others. And how blissful it had been until she was now forced to remember.

"Y-yes!" The girl squeaked, with fleeting glances and a slowly reddening face. Her particular reaction was sort of unusual but her friend assured her afterwards that it had been a good one. Tsuna simply failed to see how scaring away others could be considered positive, that was, unless you were Hibari Kyoya in a crowded area.

* * *

Takeshi had been to her room a handful of times, typically for studying purposes, and never for extended periods of time. It looked neat, normal, pretty average for a girl her age, and he had never found the leather bound book with his own dedicated page.

Ietsuna was fiddling with it now, putting scraps of blues and purples onto a clean page. It hadn't been as striking and regal as Hibari's, nor as soothing and tranquil as Takeshi, instead it was something she couldn't quite grasp. It was complex and layered, as deep as the ocean yet as delicate as…fog. There was another similar page, of a colour she had yet to grasp, and the similarities between them were enormous, just like how the differences were too many for her too put into words. They were both such contradictory colours, shifting like desert sand or flowing like ink through water. Tsuna nodded in approval of the description. As for the girl, Tsuna was sure they would meet again, though what to do when it happened was another question entirely.

Just another thing added to her indecisive pile of things that needed answers she didn't have. Said pile also included Takeshi, and how she was supposed to answer his confession. He made her heart flutter, and that should've said enough, but then again sometimes it was Hibari that stole her breath away, that drew her eyes and held her attention. And that really wasn't fair to Takeshi, who deserved to be with someone who could give him their entire heart. Not someone as wishy-washy and cowardly as her, who had enough problems of her own including the damning connection to the mafia that still kept her awake at night.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

They grow up so fast ;_; Because they've all become older teenagers now, and have been together for a while, and are experience the best of feelings and crushes hahaha...hah

Now we're really starting to diverge from canon. Let's pretend that in an extra year someone somewhere made a breakthrough on the Arcobaleno Curse. It ain't perfect yet, but we're going to have a mixture of people with fluctuating ages.

And also thank you all for the generous reviews ;)


	8. Those Poor Souls, Lost in the Mist

**A/N** Hello!

We're continuing on with Mukuro and Chrome but this will be the last chapter before the mafia storm. (Aren't you excited?)

We'll also be looking at the whole butterfly effect, and how a couple changes may affect the story line (this whole early Mukuro meeting for example, will change what will later be the Kokuyo arc. In fact maybe it was the dream meeting that will alter it.)

Also, the whole Arcobaleno thing will be expanded on later but for those who want a short answer, Verde ain't an Arcobaleno for nothin' (he must've been beyond genius if he was part of the strongest seven despite lacking combat skills)

* * *

 **~Chapter 8 – Those Poor Souls, Lost in the Mist**

Sharp, calculating eyes watched on with building frustration as the girl, the one he refused to admit he may possibly care for even just a tiny bit, let out yet another sigh. Of course he had already asked, the very day this farce began he asked if there was something on her mind. And what had she done? Just blushed like the stupid girl she was, refusing to meet his eyes, and answering with a sweet little 'nothing'. She was testing his rather unimpressive patience, and while he like to entertain the privacy of his subordinates, he swore that if she sighed one more time-

"Haah…" And there it was.

"Oi!" Perhaps there would be no need for him to say anything after all, "I thought I told ya already to stop with all that annoying noise."

"Sorry-"

"Chrome, you should be apologizing to Mukuro-sama for having to put up with all your nonsense." A different, more emotionless voice intoned.

"Sorry, Mukuro-sama." The purple haired girl corrected instantly. And that was it. They were prepared to drop the topic like that without satisfying his curiosity. He supposed if anyone was going to ask it would have to be him.

"Chrome." His voice was sharp and caught their attention easily.

"Yes, Mukuro-sama?" She gave him that endearing look of admiration mixed with uncertainty.

"Would you like to explain why you've been sighing for the past week?" She stayed quiet for a moment, her visible eye staring into the air as his mind drifted briefly. And then she came back down to earth, blushed again, and looked away from him.

"I-it's nothing." She stuttered out rather unconvincingly.

"I highly doubt that." Mukuro replied dryly. He stared he down, waited, and eventually she caved in. From her petal-like lips spewed forth a tale so utterly mundane he almost scoffed. Death by oncoming traffic should have been the least of her worries, and if anything, a lucky way out of this unamusing life.

* * *

"So where is this saviour of yours?" The blue haired teen asked as they both loitered at the entrance of Namimori Middle School. The bell had long rung and slowly but surely its occupants were herded out.

"Umm…" Chrome stood on her tip toes, peering into the crowd with her sole eye, "There!" Mukuro glanced over to where she was pointing, catching sight of two rather ordinary students. An unimpressive girl with obscuring, messy hair and a grinning, probably naïve, boy. He looked like a moron the way he never dropped his smile, chatting nonstop to the girl who merely nodded in acknowledgement. it was so dull that he could only sigh... But if that was what his dear Chrome wanted…

"So Chrome, what would you like?" The older boy asked in a bored tone, "If you fancy him so much I can have the girl disappear-"

"No!" She exclaimed, louder than he would have expected, looking at him as if he were insane, "You can't do that!" He wanted to ask her who exactly she thought she was, first declining his generosity, and then telling him what he could or could not do. Alas, she had already turned her attention from him and back towards the duo, the duo that had apparently noticed them and was now walking over.

"Chrome-chan!" Takeshi called with a friendly wave, he brought the girl over with him, her hand very noticeably held in his own.

"…hello." Chrome replied quietly, shuffling a bit behind Mukuro as whatever audacity she had earlier disappeared.

"I'm glad you're doing well." The other girl spoke. Her voice was rather soft, not unlike Chrome's, but held a quality Mukuro couldn't quite describe. Regardless it easily managed to entrance the younger girl.

"Who'd you bring with you?" The overly cheerful teen asked, giving Mukuro an almost unnoticeable once over, "Your brother?"

"Yes," The blue haired teen replied quickly before Chrome could answer, "Thank you for helping out my dear Chrome the other day."

"Oh I didn't do anything," Takeshi replied, directing the recognition towards his friend, "Tsuna here was the one who pulled Chrome off the road in time." Mukuro did all he could to hide his surprise. This meek-looking girl had been the one Chrome was so enamoured with? Curiously he tilted his head a little, trying to steal a glance at her hidden eyes.

"Herbivores." The voice that interrupted them was cold like steel and had most in the vicinity stiffening with fear. "This is a no loitering zone," The renowned prefect stated as he approached with confident steps, "Especially for outsiders."

"Sorry, Hibari-senpai, we'll leave immediately." Tsuna tried to hurry them along but to her dismay realized that a certain blue haired teen was stubbornly not moving.

"Oh, I didn't see any signs of the sort stating such." Mukuro commented lightly.

"My word is the rule here." Hibari stated distastefully with a narrowed gaze.

"Or really? Don't you think that's a bit arrogant of you?" He had the nerve to laugh at the bloodthirsty prefect, looking down at him from his slightly taller height, "Little skylark?" There was very little warning, maybe the barest of twitches, before Hibari lashed out at him, polished tonfa at the ready.

"Oh wow," Takeshi said in hushed whispers to Chrome, "Your bro's really brave. Can he fight?"

"Fight?" The eyepatched girl furrowed her brow in thought, "He is strong but…" Had she ever seen Mukuro in a simple fistfight before? Things like that were generally left to the other two…

"Stop running herbivore." Mukuro had thankfully yet to get hit, but in return could do nothing more than dodge. The bloodthirsty teen was dangerous, his instincts told him, the same instincts of a ruthless criminal.

"Oya, oya, if I did that you'd hit me-" He felt the breeze of an uncomfortably close swing and felt himself wondering why he didn't just use his powers and bring the other to his knees. His right eye was beginning to ache in agitation, and he huffed, struggling to keep it hidden under the weak illusion. It just wouldn't do if his cover was blown this early on. "Be careful skylark," Mukuro warned, taking a step behind a particular innocent bystander, "You wouldn't want to hurt her would you?" He had taken his pick of the dull pair, it was obvious that he wasn't going to put Chrome in harm's way, and settle for the brunet, hoping that the prefect was above hitting a weak looking girl.

"Che." The violent teen halted, long enough for Mukuro to drop his guard, and then swung out like there wasn't a person in the way.

"Tsuna!" There was a surprising shout of concern from behind them, one that was unwarranted as the scene fully played out. Mukuro merely let out an impressed whistle as the girl faced the ruthless attack head on.

"Hibari-senpai," The girl in front of him caught the tonfa in her hands with a painful sounding smack, "Could you please let it go just this once?" It didn't sound like a request, not the way she said it, but more of a demand, if such a thing were possible. "Didn't you and Kusakabe-san have something important planned today?"

"Hn." She let go of the firm hold she had on his weapon and in return he let his arm fall into a relaxed manner by his side. Indeed they were scheduled to sort out the Momokyokai today… "I'd better not see you here again herbivore." He stated, giving the blue haired menace a harsh glare. He didn't wait for a response, not even wanting to hear anything more from that annoying mouth, and left as abruptly as he had come.

"Geez, every time I have to go against Hibari-senpai I think I lose a couple years…" Tsuna slumped in a resigned way, turning around at the odd brother-sister combo. "I would've thought most people know to keep out of Hibari-senpai's way."

"And yet here you are jumping to my rescue, and into his line of fire." Mukuro faked a swoon, disregarding the fact it was he that initially used her as a shield.

"Well Tsuna's not 'most people' now is she?" The goofball teen said seriously with a mismatched laugh. His Chrome seemed to agree with her tiny but sure nod, and he had to wonder what exactly he was missing here.

"I think some belated introductions are in order," He decided, offering his hand first to the other male, "I'm Mukuro, Chrome's elder brother."

"Yamamoto Takeshi." The former baseballer replied with a firm handshake.

"Sawada Ietsuna." The girl replied in turn, reaching for the offered hand second. Wasn't it obvious that the more you hid something the more interest it would generate in others? As it was Mukuro was a very curious person. He ignored her slender hand, instead brazenly placing his hand on top of her head. Amidst the confusion he simply swept it back along with that ridiculous fringe, and was rewarded with two pools of striking amber.

* * *

Mukuro wasn't a stranger to Tsuna, and though the memory was old and faded, she had truly never forgotten… never allowed herself to forget. It was true that she had never seen him before, but Tsuna had easily spent years fixated on the indigo shroud that gently wrapped itself around him, warmly as if protecting him.

He, on the other hand, did not know her. What she had so dearly held onto, he had pushed away, and if she had been in the same situation as him, she might have done the same. What Ietsuna remembered from those days were nightmares, both of her own creation and from his reality. Guns, blood, crimson carpets, steel tables, dirty white, and the screaming of children like them. It meshed together in her mind as if one, weighing over her like a manifestation of despair.

But she smiled at him, at Chrome as well, watching as their fog swirled together. They ebbed and flowed, sometimes exactly the same shade and indistinguishable, and at others at two different ends of the spectrum. But no matter how enthralling it was, she remained an arm's length away. Because Mukuro was mafia, no matter how far he ran, he was mafia through and through. The underground would never release the chokehold it had on his neck, on both of their necks.

"Ietsuna-hime," He would call, on the verge of mocking her, hanging around her with a fascination she couldn't understand. In fact Tsuna couldn't figure out what he wanted besides attention. And if that was all, she would happily give it.

"Good afternoon, Chrome-chan, Mukuro-kun," Tsuna wasted no time ushering them out of the school grounds, knowing that the longer they lingered, the higher chance Hibari would find them. Anyone with half a brain could tell that a few minutes together with the two older boys would quickly lead to disaster.

"Konichiwa Ietsuna-san, Takeshi-san," Like Chrome and Mukuro were hardly seen apart, the same could be said for Tsuna and Takeshi. The four of them made an odd group, with Hibari or another two boys she didn't quite know yet, hanging in their peripherals. Among those few friends Ietsuna kept her hair pinned back, walking with confidence and grace born from her unhindered sight and martial arts training. People that met that amber gaze either backed down or confronted her, this fight or flight action more instinctual than anything else. She hardly heard the jeers anymore, and she really had Takeshi and Hibari to thank for that, and though the quiet whispers were still there, Tsuna was getting better at ignoring them. Maybe it was because of her friends' vocal appreciation of them, Takeshi, Mukuro and Chrome complementing her in their own way which was frankly, creepily and meekly, respectively. And that counted a bit more than her mother's old reassurances.

Even Hibari approved, but that was likely because her fighting was better unhindered.

Eventually this became the norm, and the inhabitants of Namimori became as used to her eyes as her friends. Tsuna herself felt better for it, and then a little stupid for her actions the past years. Maybe if she hadn't gone through the trouble of hiding them, others would have become accustomed to them early. She recognized a pattern when she saw it. Hiding her eyes so they weren't intimidated, letting herself get beat up and saying it was okay, she could trace it all back to why she had left Italy.

Tsuna had once thought running away was okay, but maybe she had chosen the wrong philosophy to follow. Avoidance only seemed to make the situation worse each time, and she was lucky so far the adverse consequences hadn't been worse. Next time, she promised herself, she would confront her problems. Next time he came back, Tsuna continued, she would talk to her brother about the mafia.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading

By the way, Chrome's meeting with Mukuro is the same as canon, she still got in the accident and he just happened to find her whilst wandering dreams. That is more or less the same.

Tsuna and Takeshi's relationship is a bit iffy right now. I can't say they dating, but she is fully aware of his intentions (I'll expand on it later~)


	9. Inviting Danger With Open Arms

**A/N** It's here! and I am also here!

And what's here, beside's the chapter, is the mafia fiasco.

I think eventually I write up an Ieyoshi focused chapter just so we can juggle around his character, but for now it'll be a lot of Tsuna and however many reasonable characters I can fit into 2500ish words.

Note: Tsuna doesn't know specifics of the mafia (most of her knowledge is that basic sort that's about 50% accurate) even if she does know key words like 'Vongola'. And Mukuro currently does not link her to the mafia, has no idea actually. But that's not really relevant this chapter :)

* * *

 **~Chapter 9 – Inviting in Danger with Open Arms**

'No.' He had told Nono his thoughts on the ridiculous mission very clearly, and yet somehow, he was still on a stupid plane with what he thought were two of the world's most idiotic blonds. He leaned to the side as if their stupidity was contagious, cursing his old friend half-heartedly.

"Can this plane fly faster?" The younger one asked, bouncing in his seat like a toddler instead of acting his proper fifteen years of age.

"Sadly no," His father replied, just about as excited as his son to arrive, "But this will give us time to cover everything I suppose."

"Uhrg," The boy groaned, they had gone over it so many times it was already engraved into his brain.

"Why are we coming back?"

"Your boss gave you a vacation and I've decided to attend high school in Japan." He answered simply.

"And this is because…?"

"Because I missed Mama and Tsuna." He answered, his bright eyes speaking the truth.

"And if we have to leave?"

"Your boss needs you and I want to stay with you." 'Boss' this, 'Boss' that, it really wasn't hard.

"And you?" His father turned to the seated male a few seat away from them, whose handsome-even-whilst-scowling face was hidden in the shadow of an orange-striped fedora.

"I'm his tutor." The man drawled in the same charming voice that had oh so easily seduced their lovely flight attendant.

* * *

The knocking was hasty and loud, the sort that didn't belong to any of her usual visitors. "Tsu-chan, can you get the door?" Her mother called from the kitchen, already partway through preparing tonight's dinner. Tsuna nodded, though the gesture went unseen, and hurried to the door, hoping it wasn't another salesman.

"Yes? Can I help you-" She was halfway through her sentence before she had fully opened the door, taken aback by a sudden, strong hug and a blinding flare of orange.

"Ciao, Tsuna!" Her vision came back in spots as it dimmed, and only then was she able to see him. Tsuna hadn't seen him in so long it was almost hard for her to believe, but his warm voice was still the same as always, even if the glow had been new.

"Yoshi?" Tsuna pulled away to get a proper look at her twin. He was taller than her now, his face which used to be so similar to her own, more masculine and angular. They still looked like brother and sister, but had lost the distinct twin-like reflection. Peering past him she saw her smiling father as well as an unknown man that had her instincts on edge. What would have been outshone by Yoshi's brilliance was as clear as day now to her. A new colour, two in one day was a new record for sure, shining with dark splendour, a shade close to burnt gold. "What are you doing back in Japan?" She asked barely able to drag her eyes away. It had been two, maybe three years since his last cancelled visit, and they hadn't heard a work of this surprise arrival.

"I've decided to attend a Japanese high school," He answered flawlessly, blue eyes sparkling in delight, "I missed you and Mama too much." His sister couldn't disagree with him, she could tell he wasn't lying, but doubted that the boy who had gone easily without their yearly meetings would suddenly come back because of that.

"Are you going to let us in, Tsuna-chan?" Iemitsu asked, interrupting his children's touching reunion, just as eager to see his darling wife.

"Ah, of course," She moved out of the way, ushering them in and happened to make eye contact with the unknown stranger. Two sets of eyes widened in surprise as coal-black met amber, neither of them able to break the force in the stare that held them.

"Let me introduce you," Yoshi said, mistaking her look for curiosity, "This is Reborn my tutor. Reborn this is my sister Ietsuna." With his words the spell that held them seemed to break, both dropping their gazes.

"Nice to meet you." She greeted, unsure of the mixed feelings she was dealing with. There was something not quite right with this man. He seemed dangerous and something else...

"The pleasure is mine." The fedora-wearing male said with a devilish smirk. Her eyes had caught him by surprise, and as a frequent visitor to the Vongola mansion, he could easily see who's image she mirrored. It was more enchanting that the acrylic painting that looked down on those that passed by, more powerful, more intense… just more. But most of all, he recognized her aura, a quick peer through the amber windows that led to her soul told him enough, in fact almost too much. She was utterly pure and accepting, resonating with some forgotten part of his own heart. The man caught himself, barely, breathing out an almost wistful sigh. That was the aura of a sky, and he had almost let himself get pulled in.

* * *

Iemitsu was an idiot. Reborn had ascertained that one fact many times, and was found with even more evidence as he settled into the civilian household. How the man's wife hadn't left him yet was a mystery, though it was obvious by the small glances, that his daughter held the appropriate amount of suspicion towards her estranged father.

Twins, he thought to himself as Baka-Yoshi chatted excitedly to his sister. That meant a lot of things in the mafia… but at the same time not very much when it boiled down to what mattered. Gender was less of an issue after Daniella's rule, and firstborn hardly mattered when it came down to twins. In the mafia the most important thing was the blood, it was really just as simple as that. But as it was, Iemitsu had made his choice a long time ago, when he had picked his apparent heir.

" _Merda!_ " He found himself smirking as the younger blond stubbed his toe on corner, stumbling and knocking a half-empty cup off a nearby table. Apparently he couldn't be trained out of simple clumsiness, the man mused as he watched until a slim hand caught it, shifting the angle to keep the liquid off the floor.

"Careful Yoshi."

"Language Yoshi."

His sister and father responded in turn, the former placing the cup back on the table. Reborn peered in, noting it was actually more than three quarters full. It was a simple motion, but the fact she had reacted quick enough with that measure of skill, was a bit unexpected for a simple, high school girl.

"Do you do any sports, Tsuna?" He found himself asking, knowing full well that her father was watching him with a sharp eye. Ietsuna had a far stronger pull than her brother, and though soft-spoken, he was sure there were many that would happily fall under her rule. The one thing her brother should have going for him though, was superior combat skills and mafia-related knowledge.

"Tsu-chan does a little bit of martial arts." Nana answered instead, with a beaming smile. He refrained from smiling, it was a start, and better than he honestly expected.

"Really?" Ieyoshi turned to his sister in surprise. He just couldn't see her participating in anything remotely violent.

"It for self-defence." She explained meekly.

"And yet…" Her mother huffed a bit, holding back her words, her mouth smoothing out into a smile after a few thoughts crossed her mind, "I suppose it's fine now. Seeing as you have such fine men around you-"

"Mama!"

"What?!" Iemitsu shot to attention while her brother took a bit longer to process what was just said.

"It's not like that." Tsuna stressed, as Nana hummed to herself happily.

"What's 'not like that', Tsuna?" Yoshi echoed with rising panic.

"Nothing!" She answered hastily, her pretty face flushing red. Her brother was beginning to feel faint, that was exactly the expression he expected from any other love-struck girl. But his sister… he wouldn't have any of that. He was absolutely sure that there was no one in Namimori, maybe in the entire world, that deserved someone like her.

* * *

Not yet. Tsuna simply kept on biding her time. She had said she would confront Yoshi about the mafia, choosing him over their father because she didn't believe the man would give her a straight answer, but the timing was difficult. Alone would be best, but it was near impossible with Reborn and her parents hovering around him. So she restrained her words, and in maybe a week after things had settled down, she would ask.

Now she waited patiently, kept on waiting, and would continue to do so. What she failed to realise though, was how little time she actually had.

* * *

"Yoshi," Tsuna walked out her room wearing her uniform and a confused expression with an odd reptile in her hand, "Are chameleons native to Japan?"

"No?" Her brother glanced at her sleepily, his toothbrush hanging loosely in his mouth as he failed to find motivation to move his arm. He had slept fitfully, and still had a horrible sense of jetlag.

"He's mine." Reborn voice came from behind her and it took all she had not to jump. She saw his slender hand come over her shoulder as his long fingers picked his partner up, placing the lizard back on the brim of his fedora.

"Reborn, don't hang around too close to Tsuna." Her brother all but whined, sending the man a sharp look.

"You don't have the right to order me around, Baka-Yoshi," To prove his point, the supposed tutor wrapped an arm around the girl, willing to ignore her nervous fidgeting.

"Tsuna!" Her mother called from downstairs, "Takeshi-kun is here."

"Takeshi? Who the hell is Takeshi?" Ieyoshi rinsed out his mouth and carelessly looped the uniform's tie around his neck, hurrying down to follow his sister who had amazingly escaped Reborn's clutches. Partway down the stairs, he managed to catch sight of their mysterious visitor, frowning at the obvious height discrepancy.

"Ah Yoshi good timing, this is my best friend Yamamoto Takeshi," His sister cheerfully introduced, "And Takeshi-kun, this is my twin brother Ieyoshi." 'Takeshi'. The younger twin didn't miss the use of first names, remembering the fact it meant a significant amount in Japan compared to Italy.

"Nice to meet you." The friendly teen stretched out his hand with a warm smile.

"Same here." Ieyoshi tilted his head up to meet the other's eyes, and gave a firm handshake. He was decent looking he supposed, already looking for faults elsewhere.

"So who's that?" Takeshi inclined his head towards the suited man, leisurely making his way down the stairs, "Another relative?"

"Ah no, that's Reborn," Tsuna replied with a small amount of uncertainty, "Yoshi's tutor." Her friend raised a brow, not quite happy with the fact an unrelated man would be living under the same roof as her. He didn't raise his opinion though, and settled for sending the man an inquisitive look. Reborn caught it and sent back his own little smirk, one that told Takeshi that this man seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. He didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Tsuna, we better hurry otherwise Hibari will probably bite us to death…" He explained, eager to leave and have her to himself, however briefly.

"What?" Ieyoshi wasn't sure he had heard that correctly.

* * *

"My name is Sawada Ieyoshi, nice to meet you." The transfer student noticed three important things as he made his introduction that morning. One, his sister was in his class. Two, Yamamoto was not. And three, the girl sitting beside Tsuna was probably some sort of angel. She caught his obvious glance and smiled radiantly. It was all he could do to hold down his blush and look as cool as possible.

"Sawada?" Some students chatted noisily amongst themselves.

"Is he related to Dame-Tsuna?" Yoshi blinked in surprise as the unflattering nickname caught his attention. Sure they weren't talking about his sister.

"Shhh!" A nearby boy hissed to his friend, "You better not let Yamamoto hear you call her that."

"Who cares, he's not in this class anyway," The student shrugged casually, "He's not gonna find out."

"Maybe, but I heard you," Ieyoshi walked over to the idiot's desk, making sure to kick it hard when he got there, "And If you ever insult my sister like that again, I'll make you regret it more than Yamamoto ever could." He gave the most withering glare he could muster, the cold glint in his eyes promising nothing but pain.

"Sawada!" He ignored the teacher's call, and moodily sat in the only free seat in the room. He could feel the weight of Tsuna's stare amongst those of his classmates and stubbornly turned away. Was she being bullied? As much as he loathed to admit, Takeshi looked like the popular type. If he and Tsuna were friends, shouldn't she be somewhat higher up the hierarchy? Was there an embarrassing story behind it? His mind spun theory after theory, paying little to no attention to the actual lecture. If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that that would be no more name-calling while he was here.

"-shi…Yoshi!"

"Huh, what?" He hadn't even noticed class had ended. God, thankfully neither his father or Reborn were here to punish him for his inattentiveness. He collected his thoughts and met his sister's concerned gaze with a flashy smile.

"I have to go deliver something to the reception room," Tsuna explained, shifting on her feet, "It'll only take a couple minutes, and then I can show you around the school."

"Alright," How many minutes were 'a few'? "I'll be right here."

* * *

After what he deemed to be a few minutes, which was far shorter than normal standards, Ieyoshi gave up waiting. He was becoming increasing paranoid about the safety of his sister and sitting in the near empty classroom was taking a toll on his nerves. What if some bullies had caught her or something? He made it to the reception room, even whilst others seemed reluctant to give him directions, and sighed in relief when he spotted his sister inside. The feeling was short lived though as he saw who exactly she was talking to. He didn't think he had ever seen anyone who fit the 'Japanese delinquent' stereotype so perfectly… And that really didn't seem like a good thing.

"Herbivore, no loitering." Ieyoshi was cut out of his thoughts by the demand, turning to find himself beings stared down by a slightly older teen. He shivered as the sharp grey eyes narrowed further, wondering why exactly the other looked so angry.

"I'm just waiting for someone…" He began, trailing off when it didn't seem like an acceptable answer.

"Are you disobeying me?" He saw the red armband on the uniform sleeve and noted it down for later.

"Disobeying?" It was ridiculous, but somehow he didn't want to antagonize the moody teen any more than he already might have, "Sorry, I was just waiting for my sister-"

"Sister?" He was given a once over, "Sawada Ieyoshi?"

"Yes, that's me." Ieyoshi barely caught the glimpse of silver before his body moved on its own, ducking down to dodge a sudden attack, "Gah! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh?" The prefect smiled and he was reminded of all those times Reborn had tortured him in the name of 'training', "Fight me."

"The hell?" He jumped back again as his opponent lunged, though not expecting the second swing, he felt the metal graze his cheek. It was his first day of school and already he was getting into a fight. He let out a huff and firmed up his stance. If he was going to get in trouble, then the least he could do was win-

"Kyoya!" The disciplinary head halted mid swing, his weapon mere moments away from possibly smashing his face in. His sister had walked out to investigate the racket, just in time to save her brother from an unfortunate fate she knew all too well, "Hibari-senpai," She corrected, clearing her throat as she moved between him and her brother, "Lunch will be over if you keep this up." She couldn't exactly pacify him and hoped that the nearing bell would be enough of a reason for him to return to his office.

"Hmph," He turned swiftly on his heels, they were lucky Kusakabe needed him for a meeting, "Try not to cause any more trouble, herbivores."

"Is he insane?" Yoshi asked, whispering even though the prefect was long gone.

"…No," The hesitation in her answer said a lot on its own, "He just…has a lot of pride? Hibari is just Hibari." Ieyoshi prayed they never crossed paths again. Who knew a high schooler could scare him almost as much as Reborn?

"And you know him?" His beloved sister seemed awfully familiar with the dangerous prefect, and even though he looked the type to do what he wanted, he had stopped when she had called. Ieyoshi was shocked when he found out Yamamoto was her only friend in this vast school, but now he found himself pleading to whomever there was up there, that there was nothing between his sister and the vicious disciplinary head.

"Everyone knows him." She waved off, her words and weak smile doing nothing to soothe him.

* * *

 **A/N** And thank you for readin'

So Reborn's here, and devilishly handsome as he is, Tsuna ain't gonna resist for long haha. I'm thinking of placing him in a pretty close position, not right-hand man style, but a bit closer than just bodyguard/tutor. Mayhaps a confidant?

Next chapters basically a Reborn chapter anyway.

I hope you look forward to it :)


	10. A Matter of What One Sees

**A/N** Hullo again,

I'm just about hitting the end of what I've written and stored away (which means these irregular updates may slow down for a bit).

There's a lot of Reborn in this chapter, and not much of anyone else. A chapter with not much acting or progression unless you count his and Tsuna's relationship (it's a slight improvement, not that I show it much...)

I'm trying but feelings are hard and I'm the type of person who doesn't know where to put my arms when standing...

Note that Reborn at the moment is only Ieyoshi's bodyguard (the teaching is left to Iemitsu), so if his loyalty starts to be swayed he can't be blamed :)

Remember _Italics_ is for _Italian_ (Because google translate can only do so much)

* * *

 **~Chapter 10 – A Matter of What One Sees**

"Interesting." Reborn hummed lightly as he put down his green binoculars, giving no reaction as they transformed back into the familiar chameleon, "What do you think, Leon?" Of course his partner stayed silent, but the man liked to think the lizard was agreeing with him. Despite his hired position as Ieyoshi Sawada's bodyguard, he had spent the day observing none other than the boy's sister. She was smaller, lacking the obvious confidence of her twin, and yet Reborn saw potential. So much that he could barely tear his eyes away, tracking her movements since the moment they met. Iemitsu had tried his hardest to keep her details away from prying eyes, so no one had expected anything from the girl, but it was hard for him to ignore what was blatantly in front of him. He may have been a hitman first and foremost, but there was some part of him that enjoyed… nurturing talent. And he was good at it too. Just look at how far the Chiavarone had come.

"Reborn?" He heard the voice before sensing the person behind it, something that would likely aggravate him for the rest of the day. He was lucky it wasn't an enemy. "What are you doing in Japan?"

"Good to see you too, Fon," He greeted, turning to face the man with a tilt of his fedora, "It's business as usual."

"Forgive my rudeness, old friend," The martial artist smiled warmly, "I just didn't expect to see you here."

"To be fair I'm not exactly enjoying my stay," The picky man replied, "It's much too quiet and the coffee here is too bland." He hadn't expected the former Chinese assassin to be here either, despite knowing he frequently travelled within Asia. Meeting in the small, nameless town of Namimori was a bit too much of a coincidence for him.

"Of course," Fon chuckled lightly, curiously looking at what seemed to have caught the hitman's attention, "The school?" Whilst it was always nice to see a friend, he had an awfully bad feeling about his presence.

"I'm not here to murder any children," Reborn stated with a shrug, "I can't tell you more than that."

"You know I'm no longer with the triad, Reborn." He huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"But that doesn't mean you are my ally." They were friends, comrades, those who shared similar circumstances, but even then they were mafiaso, assassins made to follow orders. It wasn't often, but both of them could remember fighting against one another, and it had never been pleasant.

"Just try to be a little more… subtle with your work," Fon sighed, looking back at the school, "I don't want you throwing Namimori into chaos."

"I hardly think it's me you should be worrying about," The hitman commented ominously, "But I'll take your words into consideration."

"Good." Fon was making him suspicious. He knew the man well enough to know his concern for the town was misplaced. It led him to believe that rather than Namimori itself, there was someone in here that had caught the martial artist's attention.

* * *

"Not bad," He drawled, leaning over in a rather intimidating way, "Not great though. A passing average."

"Um, Reborn-san, what are you doing here?" 'in my room' was left unsaid, but Tsuna thought that her question would suffice.

"I'm bored," The suited male replied in a way that explained nothing, "So I thought out of the kindness of my own heart, I would help you with your homework." He finished with a smirk, the same smirk she could never not blush at. Tsuna scowled inwardly at her traitorous heart… as if things weren't confusing enough. "It's wrong." He stated boredly, with a single glance at the worksheet.

"Which one?" He held her stare for a fraction of a moment before leaning away.

"Who knows? There no fun in it if I just tell you." Tsuna wanted to tell him that homework was never fun but bit back her words. For some reason she felt that Reborn wasn't here for her math questions. "So Tsuna, have you ever been to Italy?" Reborn had stepped away from her, idly picking out books from her shelf. He found more than a couple in Italian as well as some older learning books.

"Once," She replied truthfully, "When I was seven. I only stayed for a year before coming back."

"You stayed with Iemitsu I assume? Did you enjoy it there?" Her faded memories surfaced. The loud and bright town. The elaborate red-carpeted mansion. The boy with red eyes.

"I did, but I felt bad for leaving Mama." Reborn had an odd glint in his eyes that she wanted nothing to do with. With a sinking realization she realized he was more than likely a mafiaso. Her father was in the mafia, her brother's supposed tutor was in the mafia, and it all led to her believing that maybe Ieyoshi had been dragged into the underworld. Not that she hadn't already assumed such…

" _So how good is you Italian?_ " He asked her, the words flowing off his tongue in a charming tone.

" _So-so,_ " Tsuna nodded at the books he had picked out, " _I teach myself a little but I've been told its choppy._ "

" _Told by who?_ "

" _Just a friend._ " She answered, not quite meeting his probing stare. Her instincts told her that as much as it would hurt later hiding things from this man, 'Xanxus' wasn't a topic to be discussed. Tsuna could only wonder to herself why that was so.

"Hmm," Graciously, he let it drop, "I'll teach you then, who knows when it might come in handy."

* * *

"We're back!" Iemitsu called loudly as he lugged his exhausted son back into the house.

"Welcome home!" How he had missed the soft voice of his wonderful wife.

" _Ciao._ " Was all the acknowledgement he got from Reborn and-

" _Ciao."_ Was that his little tuna fish?

"Isn't it great?" Nana chattered as she ushered her boys inside, "Reborn's taken to teaching Tsuna a little bit of Italian."

"Has he now?" Sceptically he sent a look at the fedora wearing man. Reborn met his narrowed gaze head on with a single raised brow.

"I've been trying to teach myself for a while now," Tsuna admitted, cutting through the growing tension, "I thought I might need it considering the fact you and Yoshi live in Italy."

"Wow Tsuna," Her brother gave her a proud look, "If you ever get stuck I'd be happy to help you."

"Are you insinuating I'm a bad teacher?" Reborn snarked from the table. He had taken to hanging around the girl and they had all easily noticed. He was up to something, but the fact he was under a bound contract kept them from inquiring. Reborn was loyal, if only to Timoteo, and he wouldn't do anything to harm the famiglia.

"Not at all." Yoshi added quickly.

* * *

It was only a few hours after, when dinner had been had and they were both washing the dishes, that the both of them were left alone together. Properly alone, with no hovering fathers or lurking 'tutors' to listen in or interfere. It was a chance Tsuna realised, but one that her brother took advantage of first. "I'm telling you this for your own good Tsuna," Yoshi told her quietly, as he dried off a plate, "But you should stay away from Reborn." It took one moment of shared eye contact, of striking amber on deep blue, for Tsuna to confirm her fears. Her brother knew about the mafia then; it was as unsurprising as it was unpleasant. And he was even trying to protect her…

"…Alright Yoshi," She smiled gently at him, unable to hide all of her unease, "I'll try my best-"

"Oh it's not like his dangerous or anything," He stammered out, eyes turned upwards as they always did when he lied, "Just y'know, he plays around with women a lot, and has a horrible personality…" He continued to slander the man with impressive zeal.

Tsuna laughed as it got a little ridiculous and handed him the last plate. "I get it Yoshi," She told him, removing the pink rubber gloves, "You don't have to worry about me." They parted with a smile, and Tsuna made her way to her room, her mind more of a mess than ever. Stay away from Reborn then, Ietsuna told herself as she opened her door.

It was an impossible task from the start, the suited man waiting for her by her desk. Her eyes went to the fedora first, the one he wore every second of every day, though maybe not whilst sleeping but she had yet to witness that, then to his eyes. His dark gaze glanced upwards to meet hers whereas she looked down to whatever had held his attention prior.

"Hie!" She was mortified at the book he had open on his lap, his own page visible for the world to see. "T-that-" His eyes glinted with amusement, "Please put that back!"

"Hm? I don't understand what's got you so embarrassed," It was an odd sort of diary, "But my name is here, and I'm curious as to what it means." He tapped the centre of the page, where his name, only partially covered by yellows, was still legible in pale, grey lead. Technically all pages had their respective names, but they had long been buried under materials and paints unlike their newer counterparts.

"That's none of your business." She said trying to snatch it back. But he was faster than her, and taller, and undoubtedly stronger. He raised a silent brow, holding it high out of her reach. It was his business though, because somehow those colours, the layers of yellows and umbers, seemed achingly familiar to him. And the fact he couldn't place it aggravated the man to know end. There was silence, but he sure as hell wouldn't be giving in first, something Tsuna realised shortly after with a huff.

"Well?" He asked once more, and this time she reluctantly gave in, mostly because it was him. She didn't have to know him well enough to recognize his stubbornness that surpassed hers. There was something about this man, who was becoming less of a stranger as the days past, that had the words spilling from her lips. It was easy, ridiculously so, for Tsuna to suddenly share the secret she had kept hidden for years.

"…Sometimes I see things that aren't there," She winced at how bad that sounded, "I mean I can sometimes see… auras?"

"And this is mine?" Reborn questioned.

"No!" Tsuna found herself blurting out. Yes, it was his page, but It dimmed in comparison to the real thing, "You're more… more everything," She told him with the frustration of not having enough words, "It's like gold, but darker and it's strong and heavy but at the same time it's intangible and distant. Like watching a sunset."

"I'm flattered." This was a certain quirk he hadn't heard of before, even in the vast and wide underworld. It also reminded him of a long deceased comrade, who also claimed to see what others couldn't. She had never told him or any of them the details, but maybe it was something like this? "Does everyone have these so called auras?"

"Maybe," She shrugged, "But as far as I can see, no." But the fact her brother had shown up swathed in orange either he had gained it, or her 'sight' had improved.

"Interesting." He flipped through the pages. A couple orange, red, blue and purple, maybe she was seeing flames? And if that was so, what potential that ability held for scouting. "Who are the rest of these?" He asked but she only shook her head. This, she would be keeping to herself.

* * *

But Reborn wasn't called the world's strongest hitman for nothing. He excelled above others in hundreds, maybe thousands of ways said his ego, that attuned him to his dark career. His observation skills for one, were so scarily honed he could almost perfectly profile a stranger within a day, most of it happening in the first few minutes. And when he knew what to look for, that there was something else he should by all means be seeing, secrets suddenly became as exposed as the nose on one's face.

So he turned his eyes on Ietsuna Sawada, not that they weren't already trailing after her form. He watched as she interacted with those around her, smiling and laughing with a certain kind of restraint she shouldn't have. And sometimes he would catch her eyes flicker downwards towards an uninteresting torso that really shouldn't have garnered such attention, or perhaps stare fixatedly at the space beside someone, lingering with some sort of look burning in her eyes.

Once or twice the hitman caught the girl watching him, amber eyes smouldering in their intensity. It wasn't too long before he realised it was his supposed 'aura' that had truly caught her fascination. Then it became easy to recognize the look, and from those that knowingly or unknowingly received it, who exactly bore a shade of their own.

When she glanced fleetingly at her twin after a particularly hard training session and looked awed even though she should have been seeing a simply, dirty pile of teenage exhaustion. When her eyes flickered to her 'bestfriend-not-boyfriend' and lingered a bit too long and deeply for the first part of that title and not long enough for the second. When her eyes bore into the back of the school prefect with more heat than expected, and more yearning than heat. There were only a handful of pages, and he reckoned he had placed half of them already with only a little bit longer till he eventually found them all.

"What do you see right now?" He asked her frequently from that moment onwards, as if he could make up for having never asked the long deceased sky that he once belonged to, what secrets were held in those blue eyes. He was wallowing in memories it seemed these days, comparing past to present as if he could find the answers without ever having to ask the questions.

'You're glowing today'

'It's a bit darker right now'

'Did something good happen?'

'Are you ok?'

"Do you know it feels warm?" He shook his head with a raised brow, of course he didn't. He wasn't the one seeing these mysterious colours. "It's awfully gentle," 'Unlike you', wasn't said but it was what he thought, "Like the sun." And there was something in her gaze, something so simple that filled him with its own warmth that could rival a crackling hearth in winter.

Unspoken words that Luce had also given to him and to them all. But she wasn't her, and the two women were about the same as night and day. Incomparable to one another, but both undoubtedly of the Sky.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading

Hehe, Reborn and Tsuna are both 'more' to one another, and he will be the only one for a long while that will know about her gift (not really sure what to call it. Vongola style synesthesia?)... There might be some tie in with the Arcobaleno in this story but I haven't decided on that yet :D

The next chapter will have another guardian (and Tsuna will meet all of her canon guardians... can't have anyone miss out on precious Tsunahime haha...). Rest assured every one of those relationships will have their time to shine, and then some (so be patient if your waiting for a particular character *any Gokudera, Lambo or Ryohei fans?)

And as a rough estimation...maybe Xanxus will be back around chapter (what are we on now...) before chapter 20 at least haha (:

Anyway I hope you look forward to the next chapter! (And thank you again for your reviews)


	11. Sanguine Solstice

**A/N** BAM, Update!

We have some progression, though I hope you guys know to never expect a decent fighting scene from me (we are going to struggle through the ring battles).

I'll probably also mention my characters might develop out of character (or rather toned down e.g. Hibrari's violence, Takeshi's...ignorance whatever you want to call it and its fakeness, Gokudera's blatant devotion [and I say it has more to do with how he shows it than his outright loyalties], and Ryohei's uh excitement. Mukuro's still creepy, Chrome's still shy and Lambo's still a bit of a crybaby, though everything has been tweaked according to years gone by and the flapping of the butterfly effect of Tsuna) This stretches to all characters, as per the writer's mystic powers.

The title's a giveaway here for what to expect :D

* * *

 **~Chapter 11 – Sanguine Solstice**

It was for her. Everything had been for her since the start.

Ieyoshi let out a wheezing breath, his entire body bruised, battered and hurt. "That's it for today," He father told him, towing over him untouched, and impassive, "You're getting better." There was approval in his voice, and maybe a little bit of pride if Yoshi really felt like dissecting the simple praise… he didn't. He growled and pushed himself up, resolving in his heart once more, never to become like the man.

Iemitsu was his, their father, in name and blood only. He was a good husband when around his wife, and a family man in public appearance but that was only for a fraction of a year, sometimes less. The rest of it Iemitsu was a mafiaso as cold-blooded as the rest, a liar and a killer; take your pick, he was still both to a fault. Honestly, Ieyoshi couldn't blame him. Well he could, and he had, but by now those feelings had long since faded. He had been all rage once, upset with no outlet like a simmering pot ready to boil over, and then with a simple phrase, his father had turned the metaphorical stove off.

"Protect your sister, Yoshi." And he would, better than his father who had so clearly chosen the famiglia over his family.

He was doing this all for Tsuna's sake. For his sister who he refused to let even step into these murky waters he was just about drowning in. It tasted like iron, chilled him right to his bones, and pulled at him with a vicious viscosity, but this is where he would stay if it meant Tsuna kept her freedom and her safety.

That day, like many others before, he dragged himself home. Dead on his feet yet still able to follow his father into the welcoming house. Mama was cooking something that smelt incredible, humming a gentle tune that brought back the warmth. The only thing, person, missing was his sister, and the smile she reserved for him that made this whole thing worth.

* * *

Tsuna was running, and had been for a long time now, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. She must have looked a mess, sweaty, untidy, her hair flying all about the place. In fact, she blamed her hair for blocking her vision when she eventually collided with someone. "Sorry." She shouted, quickly scrambling to her feet as she nervously looked around her. There were no cars in sight, but that hardly meant she was in the clear.

"It's my fault for not paying attention." The stranger replied loudly, helping her up with a firm arm. He was sturdy enough that he had barely stumbled when she had flown into him. If anything he was curious as to why she seemed to be running herself into the ground. "Are you alright?" He asked in concern, checking for any injuries.

"I'm fine," She took the time to catch her breath, all but freezing as she heard the sound of a car approaching, "I'm really sorry but I've got to go." Her words were hurried out as her eyes darted around. She could already see the ominous black van rounding the corner.

"Wait!" He caught her wrist, not allowing her to flee. He had about five seconds to realize his mistake, three of which were spent wondering about her identity before he noticed the gun aimed at him.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," She repeated lie a quiet mantra as the sound of footsteps faded away. The situation seemed bleak. She was tied up, trapped in a room of an abandoned building somewhere in Namimori, but the worst thing was that she had gotten a civilian involved.

"I told you its fine." The boy replied, his grin looking out-of-place on his injured face. His mind had all but given up on understanding his current situation and the fear had yet to truly set in. All he really knew right now was that bad guys happened to capture them and a cute girl was apologizing to him.

"It's not fine." Tsuna snapped, wondering how he could stay so positive, "Because of me…you…" She turned way, neither of them were a pretty sight after the men had landed a few hits. She felt terror creep into her mind but that was nothing compared to the guilt. He was wearing the same uniform as her, but as far as recognizing him went, she only drew blanks.

"I've been in more extreme situations," He assured having no trouble remaining optimistic, "We just have to wait for the police or something." She didn't want to tell him how unlikely that was, or that their situation could get a lot worse in a very short amount of time, but in the end she didn't have to.

"Don't say a thing," She whispered under her breath at the civilian, listening for the creak as the door swung open, and what appeared to be the kidnapper's leader stepped in.

"You are Ietsuna Sawada," He stated rather than ask, waving her student ID in front of her, "Really if you had just answered our questions there would have been no need for the rough treatment." She highly doubted his words, knowing that his men had enjoyed the feeling of hitting others from the smiles they had worn.

"W-what do you people want?" She asked, arms and legs tucked in, looking utterly vulnerable as she stared up at them with wide eyes. She would make sure she engraved all of their faces in her mind.

"I want to know about the Decimo," He began, "Who came to Japan with him? And where are they right now?"

"Decimo?" She feigned ignorance, which wasn't hard considering she only had a suspicion that it was mafia related, accenting the word heavily with a Japanese accent, "What is that?"

"Don't play dumb," The kidnapped clicked his tongue in annoyance, "You must know that your brother is to be Vongola Decimo." His words managed to surprise her as she put two and two together, no wonder it had sounded so familiar, though it led her to wonder about the man who should've already claimed the title.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," her voice rose in her panic, her speech full of stutters and stops, "Yoshi is just a normal student. He said he came back to Japan because he missed it." She hung her head low and her voice trembled. She was ultimately satisfied when the man's demeanour seemed to change.

"Then the rumours where true?" He said more to himself than her, "The head of CEDEF was really naïve enough to keep a civilian family?" She stayed silent, her eyes cast down, and he took it for confusion and fear. "I guess you're worth little more than a hostage, but it will do." He took one last disappointed look at her before leaving the room, letting her finally relax.

"What was he going on about?" the civilian asked shifting over to her.

"I promise to tell you if we get out of here," Tsuna replied as they sat back to back, feeling the ropes around her wrist tense as a sharp blade tore through them, "For now let's just worry about escaping." The small blade she had hidden in the heel of her shoe was doing wonders. Sure their hands were a little scratched up in the process, but they were free, and a moment later their legs were too. "Are you alright?" She asked again as she retrieved the measly knife, watching as he rubbed the red lines around his wrist.

"Yeah..." The white haired stranger had no idea if her act had been completely false, but right now she was calm and composed, quite the opposite of his own. buzzing feelings, "What should we do now?"

"I don't know." Tsuna, pressed her ear to the door, slowly turning the handle to find it unlocked. Leaving it closed she walked towards the window, disappointed to see they were somewhere on the third floor, "There are four men, including the leader and we can't go out the window. It's likely if we try and go through the door, that we'll run into at least one of them, and we know for a fact that they are all armed with guns." Unease began to grow inside her at the thought. She was fine with being beat up, okay with threats held at knife-point, but the moment she saw a gun she froze. She was supposed to have gotten over it years ago, but apparently that incident still haunted her. Tsuna was overwhelmed with the simple feeling of frustration.

* * *

"Just let me go!" Ieyoshi all but screamed at the man that was supposed to be his father. He had gotten the gist of the situation but what got to him the most was the fact they expected him to stand down whilst Tsuna was in danger. And oh God it was his fault, all of this was his fault. They should've never come back to Japan, never put Tsuna or their mother in danger, never been so greedy to assume they would be safe…

"You can't." Iemitsu repeated firmly, with hard eyes and words resounding with force. He knew exactly how his son felt, after all it was also his daughter that was in danger, but his mind was resolute. The safety of the heir came first before anything else and he only wished Yoshi would understand.

"If I don't go, and if you're here 'keeping me safe' then who the hell is saving Tsuna?" The boy shouted, sarcasm dripping off his words even in their desperation. He couldn't believe he was standing here arguing instead of raiding the kidnappers' hideout.

"Isn't it obvious?" A voice that neither of them particularly cared for, cut in, sounding both sharp and lazy at the same time. Reborn folded his phone shut with a soft click, rolling his eyes at the both of them. "I've already tracked down where they're hiding, and I hardly think that a handful of grunts could pose a problem."

"Take me with you then." Yoshi demanded, trying to get past his father.

"No," Reborn denied him instantly, "You'll just be a hindrance." He could have easily dealt with extra baggage, but it wasn't like he wanted to. The gears in his mind were turning and his idle thoughts and musings were becoming something closer to actual possibilities. Things could be a lot more interesting and he would not allow Iemitsu or his son to interfere.

* * *

"You really thought you could escape that easily?" One of the henchmen delivered a painful kick to the civilian who was already curled up on the ground. He had put up a tough fight but sadly that only made them angrier.

"Stop it already, it's my fault so hit me instead." Tsuna pleaded, trying to free herself from the uncomfortable hold of bruising hands.

"I'm fully aware it's your fault," Their leader said, playing with the knife he had snatched off her, "And that is precisely why he is taking the beating." He was annoyed he had fallen for her act, even more irritated that she had cut him, regardless of how shallow the wound was.

"Stop it." She begged, watching the boy cough up blood, "You'll kill him."

"So what?" He asked with bored eyes, "In the first place he was unnecessary. In fact…" He pulled out his gun, a simple revolver, and took aim.

"Don't!" Tsuna felt herself freeze as per usual and the world seemed to slow down. She remembered her childlike self, and the question that had gnawed at her mind years ago. Now being put in this situation she could clearly see her answer. She felt a burning sensation rise from inside her, sending her blood into a boil. She never heard the surprised shout from the man holding her as his burnt hands were forced to let go, her eyes focusing on the trigger as it was pulled. By the time he had fired her body had already moved.

"What the fuck, man!?" The civilian who had his eyes scrunched shut slowly opened them and was entranced with what he saw. The pain in his body became insignificant as he stared into warm amber eyes. Struggling to his knees he barely managed to catch her light body just as she fell against him, blood already flowing freely from her abdomen. His teeth gritted, grinded against themselves, as his shaking hands pressed themselves against the open wound. Her blood was hot, staining his hands red and assaulting him with the smell of iron, but he never even thought about lessening the pressure.

"You shot her…" One of the men uttered in shock. There went their hostage.

"I wouldn't have if someone had managed to hold her down," Their boss spat out, glaring at the offender, "Shit, we're so screwed."

"You couldn't have said it better." A dark voice commented, the deadly tone sending chills down their spine.

"Who the hell are you?" The suited stranger stepped through the door as if he owned the place, giving them a disgusted look as if he were looking down at bugs.

"Who cares?" There was no warning before he fired, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he heard the screams, "You'll be dead in a second anyway."

* * *

Ieyoshi wanted to cry. From resentment of his inability to keep her safe, to self-hate at his weak and powerless self, and even sheer relief that she was still alive, her heart still beating in the same rhythmic pattern as his own.

"You healed her right?" He asked for the umpteenth time, never quite tearing his eyes away.

"I did what I could," The hitman replied with a frown, "Physically she's more or less healed, though she ought to be sore for the next couple of weeks." He didn't mention how the bullet wound almost cauterized itself with her flames, because he wasn't ready to deal with the mess that sort of info could cause. Nor did he tell the brat and his father how even before got to her, there were traces of Sun flames already lingering where the ashen-faced civilian pressed his bloodstained hands, the partially knit-together wound an impressive show of instinctual flame use and an awakened potential no one expected.

"Dammit." The boy cursed softly, hanging his head in shame and sinking into a feeling of futility. They had come here for his safety, but if that means Tsuna and his mother would be in danger, then he didn't want any of it. Too bad his father was too damn set in his beliefs. Although to his credit, one kidnapping was far better than several assassination attempts. He cursed again, louder this time, for rationalising Iemitsu's thoughts. "I need to return to Italy." He spoke aloud, more to himself than the hitman, "Go, and never come back…" And once he was rightfully the Decimo he would set up some protection for his family, something he wished their father had thought about earlier. The first step would be to find his guardians, though how he was expected to do so whilst in Namimori baffled him.

Reborn easily gleamed his intent off the changing expressions on his face, but hardly felt like telling the boy that by his count, Tsuna was more than halfway there.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading,

I actually had various ideas of how to get Ryohei into the mafia (hint, that's who the unnamed civilian is guys), being a complete civilian, even more so than Takeshi (because man, his father had to pick up those sword skills from somewhere).

This was one of the more straightforward, thrown into the deep-end, options (rather than fluffing around in school and such).

There's also some more insight into Ieyoshi this chapter :) even if it's slightly angsty 'protect my sister' feelings.

Only two more guardians to go before the eventual Varia arc.


	12. Disclosure

**A/N** Hello.

There's actually quite a lot of reveals this chapter (and probably the next), to the point it might get hard keeping track of who knows what, who knows a little, and who knows nothing at all.

This might be the point where people simultaneously start coming together and apart (as weird as that sound). I'm also trying to pull and mash together everyone's guardians (note that Tsuna's aren't changing, so it's really Ieyoshi I'm talking about). And that's more or less done (I'm pretty proud of how unexpected they are beside a couple...maybe, y'know I dunno).

That being said, was there any magic fortunetelling paper (like Naruto) that told flame affinities? Or did it actually just boil down to accurate guesses on personality and resemblances to the first generation? That's my question of the day (and if the answer is 'no', you can bet that something like it will pop up anyway).

* * *

 **~Chapter 12 - Disclosure**

Ietsuna had realized long ago that she was dreaming, but was having particular difficulty waking up. At first the field of flowers had been a pleasant surprise, but the longer she stayed the more unsettling it seemed. In an endless field of pure white lilies, and under a striking, empty, blue sky, Tsuna felt as if she might lose herself. The only thing that kept her grounded was the suited man who seemed content to merely watch her. Blonde hair, amber eyes, pinstriped suit and a mantle, she recognized him from the painting that had enamoured her long ago, and was positive he was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. He was silent, or rather he stopped trying to speak once he realized no sound was coming out. They alternated between staring at each other and the flowers below. There was little else to do.

"…Primo, was it?" She sighed out. Her words were barely audible but he had heard, his mouth opened, closing soon enough as he remained muted. The man was forced to try and convey his message with his expressive gaze, but there was too much for her too understand. Too many feelings and thoughts she couldn't understand. So much grief, too much sadness, but underneath there was a pride that had not wilted and a kindness that felt built into his core. This man was the founder of Vongola, a mafiaso, and judging by the similarities, they could have possibly been related. Yoshi looked a lot like him, especially if he grew his hair out, and discounting the colour of their eyes.

"Yoshi…" Her voice caught his attention again but she said nothing more, stuck in a mess of her own thoughts. The man beside her probably died at a young age, after all being a mafia boss was a dangerous profession. And Yoshi was supposed to succeed such a dangerous line? How could such a thing be allowed?

* * *

"Come with me." He all but ordered the moment they showed up at the gate, left foot tapping impatiently as if he had been waiting. His first instinct was to tease the bloodthirsty teen, to mock him for one thing or another, but the concerned presence beside to his side had him pausing. In the two years they had known the skylark he had never called them out, nor would they be seen near one another without the small, amber-eyed girl that connected them all.

"Did something happen to Ietsuna-chan," Chrome asked nervously, her gaze still searching for the source of her admiration.

"Hn." The small noise of confirmation was almost inaudible, just like the subtle tilt of his head went mostly unseen. It was all so obvious to the both of them though, because of course the only time they could be civil towards one another was when it concerned Ietsuna. A car pulled up, black with tinted windows, equal parts eye-catching and illusive depending on who saw it. For Mukuro, it was hackle-raising, especially when he noticed the sheen of bulletproof glass. Despite that fact, they still allowed themselves to be ushered in without much fuss, yet another thing to attribute towards the missing girl.

"Will you be elaborating?" He asked the other, disguised eyes staring at the scenery they passed.

"She was admitted into Namimori General yesterday afternoon," Hibari replied dispassionately, "And hasn't woken since."

"What happened?" The younger girl pressed, receiving an uncharacteristic shrug in return.

"I don't know." Was the answer the prefect gritted out with an added glare. It wasn't directed at her, or her infuriating brother, but rather at his own sense of inadequacy. Something was off, and the whole thing irritated him beyond reason. How did one get admitted to the hospital with blood loss but no obvious wounds? How did a high-school girl go about receiving a scar, most likely from a gun by the looks of it, without anyone's, his, knowledge? That sort of placement would have meant damage to internal organs and possible death without treatment, but she hadn't been admitted since a panic attack at the age of seven. He growled lowly to himself, slamming open the door a fraction after the car stopped, and stalking into the hospital with his two guests.

They made it to her floor without fuss, the only other person there being the despondent, former, baseballer who looked as if he couldn't bear to be in the room but couldn't find it in himself to stay away. He gave a single nod of acknowledgment, but otherwise remained unresponsive. Mukuro had no problem understanding why as he entered the room to see the object of his fascination swamped in the white he hated so much.

"Ietsuna-chan…" Chrome was by her side in an instant, lifting up the slim, too-pale hand into her own.

"What happened." The navy-haired boy repeated with a frown stuck firmly on his handsome face.

"When I find out I'll let you know." Hibari promised begrudgingly.

"Do that," Mukuro nodded in approval, beckoning Chrome back to his side. He commended the prefect for going as far to let the two of them know, and thought that he could perhaps return the favour with some of his own information digging, "We'll take our leave then." He levelled the prone body with one last look before sweeping out of the room, eyes turning a cold like steel.

"Yamamoto was it?" He heard an unknown voice outside that left his hand lingering on the doorknob, neither pushing nor pulling, "You should get some rest." It was young, that of a boy around their age.

"I'll consider it," Yamamoto replied blandly as the illusionist finally followed through the simple motion of opening the door, "Ieyoshi." The name was familiar Mukuro remarked to himself as he glimpsed the unfamiliar boy, but not as much as the face he was wearing. It all came back to the former mafiaso rather suddenly then, Ieyoshi Sawada, the boy who was rumoured to be the next Decimo of Vongola. He held back a strangled laugh and smothered himself and Chrome in an illusion before they caught either boys' attention. And if Yamamoto noticed the discrepancy in those entering and those leaving, he never said a word.

That day Rokudo Mukuro left the hospital with his mind far too noisy and disordered, as half-dead plots revived and recovered, transforming themselves into what could only be known as a wavering attempt to both realize his ambition for revenge and dare he say, protect her.

* * *

"You're awake." A voice stated before she had fully roused herself. Tsuna knew that voice, feeling the familiar warmth of his aura wrap over her.

"What happened?" She asked, blinking her eyes open, her voice hoarse. There was a painful ache around her stomach and she wondered how exactly she was still alive.

"The kidnappers were dealt with," The person by her side answered, helping her sit upright, "And now you are in Namimori Hospital." Tsuna accepted the glass of water he handed her, feeling something amiss with his kind actions.

"Thank you for saving us, Reborn-san." She told him knowingly after the water had eased her throat. This man was a killer, her heart told her, and she knew for a fact that 'dealt with' had been just a positive euphemism. But she didn't fear him as much as she expected, feeling a sort of acceptance along with gratitude.

"It is merely part of my job," He answered though it wasn't strictly true., "Speaking of which, did the kidnappers happen to tell you anything?" Tsuna was rather torn at this point, and at the cost of lying, could possibly remain 'ignorant'. But that was not what she wanted, nor was what she felt right.

"Ieyoshi, is the Vongola Decimo." The amber eyed girl uttered, still not wanting it to be true.

"Not exactly," Reborn replied, the gears in his mind turning frantically, "He is a candidate."

"It makes no difference," She sighed, flumping back down and throwing a bandaged arm over her eyes, "Papa stilled dragged him into the mafia."

"You knew," The hitman said with sardonic mirth in his voice, "How long have you know for?"

"Since that first trip to Italy" There was no use lying to him, even if she somehow got him to believe her words, "Papa liked taking Yoshi and I to the mansion where he would hand in reports." Reborn felt the urge to laugh but settled for a small chuckle. If Iemitsu had really wanted to keep a civilian family, he should have been less of an idiot.

"And how do you feel about this all?" He questioned, tilting his head with a charming expression.

"I am afraid," She admitted aloud for the first time, lured in by his 'comforting' presence.

"Of the mafia?" He probed, "Of assassins and murderers? Of getting kidnapped and shot again? Of dying?" Tsuna bit the inside of her lip anxiously.

"If you had asked me this before I would have said yes," She answered slowly, wearing a pained smile that felt far too familiar to Reborn, "But I realized that it hurts less being the one that gets shot, rather than watching someone I care about get hurt-"

"So you cared enough for a stranger to take a bullet for him?" He was scolding her she realized distantly, her face warming into a gentle smile.

"I was taking responsibility, seeing as it was my fault he got into that mess." She felt a calloused hand on her head, her brain struggling to believe that it belonged to the normally cold-looking Italian. "I'm not afraid of the mafia, but what might happen to Yoshi. He's not even a boss, and yet there's already a target on his back. I'm scared because I might lose him and there is nothing I can do."

"You could take his place." Reborn suggested dangerously. Ieyoshi Sawada would have been a decent successor but that was all he would ever be. Deep down the hitman felt something special about Ietsuna, something that Nono would definitely agree with.

"Take his place?" She looked at him as if he was an idiot but he pushed his annoyance aside.

"Of course," He continued, leaning back in his chair and playing with his curled sideburn, "The only reason why your brother was considered was because he was a descendant of Primo, something that applies equally to you." Her suspicions were confirmed. "It's all in the blood." He tilted his head, the "You could be the Decimo instead. I doubt you can get him out of the mafia, but you can wear the target instead."

* * *

"Tsuna!" Takeshi was at her side the instant he tumbled through the door, carrying dark bags under his eyes and looking dreadfully pale despite his tanned skin. He grabbed at her hand, squeezing with borderline painful strength, just to reassure himself that she was here and that she as alive. "Thank god you're ok, Tsuna." He clutched her smaller hand between his own, bowing his head into it in mock prayer, and continuing to utter phrases of relief.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." She told him softly, with a sad smile that he failed to see. There was a tremble in his hands, a small one, but one nonetheless. And it just broke her heart to see his confident, jolly self start to crumble. It was vastly different from the last time, but it affected her just as much… even more when she realised it was because of her.

She let him have the time he needed to compose himself again, flexing the hand in his grip every so often, waiting until he brought his face up and cracked a watery smile at her. It was only then did she address the stranger in the room. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess," Her voice was laced with apology, but her eyes begged for him to stay quiet, "I'm Sawada Ietsuna."

"No blood no foul," He replied though the phrase seemed immensely inappropriate, "I'm Sasagawa Ryohei." The white haired teen was covered in bandaged, more of a precaution than necessity, though it still had her sinking into the gloom of reality. How could he smile at her like that, considering what she put him through? It was an idiot's grin, not unlike Takeshi's, toothy and bright enough to warm the room.

"So what exactly happened?" Takeshi asked, noticing how his friend seemed to not want to meet his eyes.

"It was just some thugs trying to make some cash of a kidnapping." She explained, her eyes pleading for him to not ask further, as if she could just sweep all her problems under one cosy rug.

"Tsuna…" He gave in and didn't push, I'm glad you're safe." It seemed like there were a lot of things Tsuna was hiding from him, and the best he could do was smile and stay by her side until she decided to tell him.

"…Are you two dating?" Ryohei asked very suddenly, with a furrowed brow. Both of their faces seemed to flush, though Tsuna's more obviously as Takeshi let out a light laugh.

"Yes."

"No."

"What!" Tsuna did her best to ignore the shout of her eavesdropping brother. She gave her friend a piercing stare that he received with a nonchalant shrug.

"...We've been on dates." He stated calmly.

"But you aren't going out with one another?" The white-haired teen reworded his original question with a certain gleam in his eye.

"Not exactly." It looked like it pained Takeshi to admit the fact, something Tsuna refused to feel regret for. She refused, and yet her heart faltered. Ryohei seized his opportunity the moment she let her guard down, reaching down to take her free hand into his own. She blinked in surprising, tilting her gaze away from her best friend and towards the older boy. He had closed the distance quickly, and his nearness made the next smile extra sunny, splashes of bright yellow flickering into her vision with a honeyed warmth. She remembered this feeling, but as soothing as it was though, she knew he hadn't had it earlier.

"In that case would you extremely like to go out with me?"

"What?! NO!" By this point Ieyoshi had had enough of hiding, swooping in to 'rescue' his darling sister.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

Just some casual plot thickening and aftermath processing. There's some ramping-up that needs to be done if we want to get to the Kokuyo arc (because it will happen one way or another even if a little differently). Although I did almost forget about it...haha...hah...

I'm also wondering at one point the harem will actually pop up into existence (because it will, I assure you guys). Maybe Xanxus will be the unlikely catalyst (because that wound be equal parts amazing and hilarious to me)

I hope you look forward to the next chapter.


	13. Storm on the Horizon

**A/N** Hey there,

Not much romancing here, but definitely some more mafia-related movement.

Currently I'm trying to think of what the end game is going to be (but we still have a ways to go so no use worry too much now).

With this title it isn't really hard to guess which guardian is up next :)

* * *

 **~Chapter 13 – Storm on the Horizon**

It had been Reborn that had personally carried her into the hospital, the exhausted boy that had trailed behind him far too lost in his own thoughts to do anything other than follow. Similarly it was Reborn that watched over her, more so than either of the two dark haired boys that stalked the corridors outside her room. Of course he hadn't been with her 24/7, ducking out to settle some rather important matters here and there, but it had still been him and not her family that had been by her side when she first woke. Considering all that, it wasn't strange for Reborn to also be the one to escort her home. Tsuna couldn't have been more grateful for his steadfast presence as her father and brother made to accost her the moment she stepped through the door. They took advantage of her mother's absence, guiding her to the living room with solemn faces and heavy hearts. Reborn didn't miss a beat, leading her to sit on one of the armchairs, whilst maintaining his post behind her.

"I'm so sorry Tsuna," Her brother begun, flumping onto the opposing couch and bury his head into his hands, "It all my fault you almost-"

"Ieyoshi," She cut him off sharply, his full name effectively catching his attention, "I'm fine." It seemed her brother and father, whether forced or not, were going to be telling her the truth. Ietsuna leant back against the chair, almost as unwilling to listen as they were to explain. Despite that she waited patiently for one of them to continue, idly watching the long fingers on the edge of her vision tap in an unchanging rhythm.

"I'm sorry to have kept it from you for so long, but I think it's time you learnt the truth," Her father was the one that spoke first, resting his calloused hand on her brother's shoulder as he looked to her resigned "I am part of the mafia." He stopped, anticipating her interruption, but it never came. Instead her eyes were a sea of false calm that would serve to judge his reasons and motives. "You see Tsuna, I work for Vongola, the most powerful famiglia in Italy, and Yoshi is the one who will eventually succeed it." Unlike Reborn, there was no other alternative for her father. It was his son that would become Decimo and he hadn't thought anything else a possibility. "We returned to Japan so I could train him safely, but it seems I underestimated our opponents and as a result, you almost lost your life." Her father bowed his head, truly regretful of his own foolishness. "I'm sorry Tsuna, but you can no longer live a normal life."

"…" She was silent, appreciating his honesty at the least, "What happens now?" Tsuna asked quietly, her eyes catching her father's as he lifted his head.

"You'll be trained," He answered, "So you'll be able to hold your own against any further assassins, and in the future you may also be pulled into the Vongola." He spoke as if she hadn't already been, as if he hadn't imagined making her the next head of CEDEF now that all was revealed. But alas, the future was uncertain. "Unfortunately, I have my hands full with teaching Yoshi," and indeed he was putting 110% percent of his all into it, "So-"

"You will be in my care." Reborn cut in, a smirk tugging at his lips.

* * *

"So, have you made your choice?" He was strangely eager to see what path she would take, to see her innate greatness realized, and to see the changes she would bring about their world. These expectations of his were high, unfairly so, but instincts told him she would match them eventually.

"My choice?" She didn't know how to feel about the hitman making himself comfortable in her room, but had little choice on the matter as he was overseeing her rehabilitation. They hadn't told her father or brother about the burns yet. Or more accurately, Reborn hadn't felt inclined to let anyone but the doctors know.

"Yes," He was amused with the girl, seeing a potential that Vongola so dearly sought after, "Will you resign yourself to the mafia as a mere underling, or will you sit at the top?" He had seen it at the abandoned building, her ability to briefly enter the so called 'dying-will' mode. As far as he knew Yoshi would continue to rely on the specialty pills, an upgrade from the Vongola patented bullets, whilst he could teach her otherwise.

"I don't know. I just want to protect Yoshi." She hated her indecisiveness in everything. Reborn finished bandaging her hands in his surprisingly careful manner, and at the end she felt a cold, hard weight settle in her palm. The heaviness pushing against her wounds in an uncomfortable way.

"That's good enough for now," He supposed, acting as if he hadn't just dropped a gun into a teenage girl's hands, "We'll have to work on that resolve though." The choices he offered her were naught more than pretty words. As long as she remained slightly willing he could work on her outlook, prepared to meld her mind as much as her body,

"This…" She held it up, the gleaming, black shine somewhat comforting. No, she wasn't afraid of guns anymore or of getting shot it seemed. Years of that terror and phobia, overcome in an instant.

"Your father doesn't think highly of guns, but I'm the one that will be teaching you, and I happen to find them incredibly useful," Leon moved from his sleeve flicking his tongue out at the foreign metal, "That is your new partner, I suggest getting used to it quickly." Somewhere hidden behind dictionaries in her shelf Tsuna knew there was a simple gun magazine. The model she held in her hand looked familiar, but she was far from placing it.

"Is it-" Tsuna pressed down on the release, her face freezing in shock as the magazine landed on her bed with a thump, "…loaded?"

"Of course." Reborn answered with a smile, pushing the magazine back into its place, "I trust you'll take care when practicing."

"Y-yes."

* * *

"The mafia boss… a leader who rules a criminal organization. Able to move a number of trusted members with one hand, willing to risk even his life for the family, surrounded by the respect and admiration of all, seen as a hero by the children of the slums…"

"Oh, is that right?" Reborn was leaning against the doorframe, watching as she disassembled the gun only to build it back up.

"You're the one who's making me read this." Tsuna muttered, her fingers fumbling as she moved her eyes away to read. She had never been the best at multitasking, but with Reborn here she doubted she was allowed to be bad. With said hitman taking up the place her door usually would, Tsuna was able to hear the knocking from the front door.

"I'll get it." Her makeshift-teacher stated generously. Reborn made his way downstairs at a leisurely pace. He figured that any salesmen or such wouldn't waste their time waiting. "Yamamoto Takeshi." He stated, taking in the boy's resolute stance. His appearance didn't come as a surprise, the hitman more or less expecting the teen to show his face around this time.

"Excuse me, is Tsuna available?" The boy didn't fidget under his stare. Something that while it didn't seem much, was commendable. Reborn analysed him quietly. He was healthy and fit with certain talent…a natural ability that his father probably scorned after spending years trying to raise his son as a civilian. The hitman felt no guilt as he allowed the boy entrance, sending him upstairs to Tsuna's room. He was obviously in love with Tsuna, a fact which equalled to loyalty. To what extent though, he was prepared to measure.

"Thanks." The former baseball played muttered, as he hurried, anxious to see Tsuna. He didn't knock, wanting to surprise her, but found himself the one in shock as he opened the door.

"Takeshi!" Tsuna scrambled in panic, sweeping the offending items off her desk in an attempt to hide them. Those fragments clattered loudly, parts colliding with one another as they tumbled onto the floor behind her desk. She had assumed it was Reborn returning, and not her unknowing friend. It was foolish of her.

"Tsuna, do you not trust me?" He asked in an unusually blank tone, striding right over to her. He tried not to feel hurt as she seemed to flinch away from him, leaning over to retrieve the metal components. In his hands he held a half-assembled gun and the rest of its cold pieces, their weight too heavy to be anything other than real. "Did you pick up gun assembly as a hobby?" He asked, almost giving her a way out.

"Not quite," Reborn answered from the doorway, the smile playing on his lips all Tsuna needed to see to know this had been planned by him, "Yamamoto Takeshi, are you willing to give your life for Tsuna?"

"Reborn!" Her eyes were alight in rage, beautiful yet fearsome, "You are not to involve Takeshi." If he was a lesser man, Reborn would have relented, but he wasn't the world's strongest hitman for nothing.

"Yamamoto, your answer?" He pressed, holding her gaze with his own. This wasn't about whether she trusted him or not. It lied in the fact she wanted him safe and as far away from this mess as possible.

"My life is yours Tsuna," Takeshi replied, looking to her apologetically, "It has been, ever since that day."

* * *

Things had become tense between them at that point, their easy relationship now strained, and she blamed it all on Reborn. She could not forgive him for dragging an innocent into the underworld, and she couldn't forgive Takeshi for allowing it. On the other hand Takeshi merely wanted her approval, her acceptance, and for Tsuna to allow him to protect her. He sought answers from his dad, learning more than he would have believed, and convincing the old man to pass down his way of the sword. He would become strong enough that she would be forced to see him. Until then though, they remained separated. Tsuna walked to school with her twin, and Takeshi barely even showed, spending more time within the dojo that the classroom.

"Did something happen between you and Yamamoto?" Her brother asked, somewhat happy and somewhat displeased.

"We had a small disagreement." Ietsuna replied tightly, clearly not wanting to speak about it anymore.

"If this is about the mafia… I'm really sorry Tsuna." He bowed his head and she sighed, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

"It's not your fault," She replied honestly, "Don't worry too much about it." They slipped into a silence that was only interrupted by the quiet chatter of their classmates.

"I heard we're getting a transfer student," Her brother stated in an attempt to brighten her mood, "Dad told me he would be interesting."

"Really?" She wanted him to clarify, the simple mention of their father rousing her suspicions, but the entrance of their teacher halted all conversations.

"Class, I'm sure you're excited…" The teen that followed behind their soft-spoken teacher looked like nothing more than a delinquent. His hair was a striking silver and the eyes sitting on his handsome face, bright green. It was the scowl that marred his face as well as the haphazard way he had worn their uniform marked him as trouble, though that didn't fail to attract the attentions of the many females of their class as the teacher continued to drone on. Tsuna too, could hardly bear to look away, eyes watching the pulsing, red form of a frenzied blaze. It flickered between furiously bright and almost entirely faded, all the while giving off a hostile aura that screamed 'Stay away'. "He's come all the way from Italy," Their teacher continued, unaffected by the utter look of disdain the teen wore, "His name is Gokudera Hayato, please make him feel welcome."

"Che." The transfer made of sound of distaste, glaring at her, or rather behind her at where her brother was sitting. As he walked down the aisle and past her, completely ignoring the weak calls of the teacher, Tsuna could only marvel at the fact that the fire she expected to burn her only exuded a hushed warmth. She started slightly with the abrupt kick he dealt to Yoshi's desk before slumping down in the only available seat in the class. It was a surprisingly juvenile act for someone she knew belonged to the mafia.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

Takeshi is now absent from Tsuna's side, Mukuro and Chrome are quietly plotting some nefarious things, and Reborn has effectively made Tsuna dislike him (for how long this lasts is unknown for know). And when you think things are falling apart... Gokudera is here to save the day.

Also I think I might try starting a running gag (let's see how this works out)

We are also still on track to having Xanxus back before Chapter 20, and ain't y'all excited for that (because that what it looks like to me haha)?


	14. Uncertainly Marching Forth

**A/N** Hello :D

We're pushing the story forward a tiny bit roughly, and a fraction more hastily that I first expected.

I will reiterate that this story pairs Tsuna with many others, though the nature of relationships will not necessarily be romantic (though most of her guardians will be), and there will be some platonic relationships happening around the place. Notably I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate Reborn into something remotely romantic, but that will be a long time coming if my guesses on my writing are accurate.

Here's the next chapter with a warning that Gokudera's segment is nowhere near done...

* * *

 **~Chapter 14 – Uncertainly Marching Forth**

Ietsuna was finding it difficult to remember the simplicity of her old routine, wondering how something that had barely changed in years could be overturned so suddenly. Mornings had been full of drowsy awakenings and shared the time with her mother and Takeshi, afternoons were school and Kyoya, leaving her early evenings sometimes to Fon and the remainder to be given back to her mother and herself. Now her mornings were hectic as she found herself pulled from dreams by the indignant shouts from her brother. Any time spent in her household was now split between her family in an uneven way. A little to her mother as they prepared breakfast together, less to her father as he offered her a yawn and a greeting, and the majority to her twin who flittered around her constantly as if to make up for years apart.

Takeshi no longer greeted her, no longer waited for her by the front gates to her home, marking it a week now that he had spent away from her side. And try as she might, Tsuna could not remember a similar instance in the past, finding Takeshi a welcome constant in her memories. She would admit to missing him, but had to wonder if him staying away was for the better. She let out a heavy sigh, finding these heavy thoughts starting to become commonplace.

"Tsuna!" Recently another had been added to their daily routine, and as punctual as ever, he was waiting outside their classroom as the lunch bell rang, ready to catch her on the way out, "Please go out with me!" It was still as embarrassing as ever, even if it was becoming an everyday occurrence. Coupled with Takeshi's absence and a heap of unresolved rumours, Tsuna was beginning to earn unwanted attention, no matter how hard she tried to diffuse the situation.

"Sorry, but I decline Sasagawa-senpai." Ietsuna rejected softly, though her words did little to the persistent boxer. She was convinced he had developed some sort of traumatic bond with her, mistaking the feeling of adrenaline and panic at the time of their capture, with something like love.

"Isn't this enough Onii-san?" Kyoko asked, walking up to them with her hands on her hips. Beside her was a torn Ieyoshi, happy to be next to his crush even if it meant that said crush's brother was chasing after his own sister.

"Kyoko, my heart has decided," the older Sasagawa proclaimed unashamedly, "I need to get to the club, but I will ask again tomorrow." With an uncharacteristic bow, he took one final look at Tsuna before jogging away.

"Mou," The school idol pouted cutely, giving Tsuna an apologetic look, "I'm really sorry if my brother is being a bother."

"It's fine, he'll get over it sooner or later." She shrugged with a shake of her head. She still owed the boxer an explanation but it seemed that he had mostly forgotten about the whole thing, no matter how implausible that was.

"Kyoko." Her best friend was calling her, holding up two bentos and giving the male Sawada a displeased look.

"What's with her?" Her brother whispered as their classmate was lured away. He truly thought Kurokawa hated him.

"So you pay attention when a girl dislikes you, but haven't noticed that Gokudera-san has been glaring at you this whole time?" His sister replied, her gaze moving over to where the transfer was watching them, unabashed.

"Rather than not noticing, I'm trying to ignore it," Yoshi fidgeted uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact, "I don't remember meeting him before, or doing anything that could make him hate me so much."

* * *

It was only with much effort she escaped the clutches of her overprotective brother, sending him home as she walked through the quiet streets of Namimori. He was paranoid that she would get abducted again, only relenting when she showed him the gun she was forced to carry around. At the time she hadn't found it necessary to tell him it currently lacked any bullets to shoot with, like hell she was taking a loaded gun to school, bluffing her way out of his grasp so she could turn up at the quiet dojo. Inside was a single person, not looking much older than her, silently working through a familiar kata. "Good afternoon, Ietsuna-chan," His soothing voice cut through the quiet and she bowed politely in response, basking in the calm his mere presence brought.

"I'm sorry for my absences Fon-sensei." Today he looked a lot like a certain bloodthirsty student of her school, his ever-changing form lingering in his adolescence. There was no logical explanation to how a baby could teach martial arts, or hold an intellectual conversation, nor was there one to explain how his age seemed to fluctuate. Her master was sometimes an infant, usually and adult, and occasionally a teen like now, and he hadn't told her more than the basics of his apparent curse.

"It's fine," Fon looked at his student intently, happy to see she was in good condition after hearing about the kidnapping incident from one of his sources, "It would be unfair if I was the only one allowed unexplained disappearances." His humour was not lost on her and she let out a small laugh, relaxing more than she had in the past week.

* * *

"I had my suspicions," His voice was irritatingly calm, as he watched the retreating girl's back, certain she would be safe on her way home, "And it looks like they were correct."

"I too, have finally realized your reason for being here, Reborn," Fon turned to greet the hitman, his usual, guarded smile in place, "One would think you would prioritize guarding Ieyoshi Sawada rather than tailing his sister."

"I'm just watching out for my student." He replied coolly, enjoying the fact that his friend was stuck in a younger form, allowing the fedora-wearing male to tower over him more.

"Student?" There was a small amount of irritation at the hitman's words, one that derived from his pride as a master.

"Yes," Reborn replied with his patented smirk, "Iemitsu has given the rights of training Tsuna to me, after the small scare we had recently."

"Ietsuna is my student," Fon said with a frown, "If you think you can take her from me you are sorely mistaken."

"I said nothing about that," He raised a brow at the former assassin's possessiveness, "I just want to work out a small arrangement. Tsuna will need both of us if she is to take the 'throne'."

"You can't be serious, Reborn," The martial artists sighed, craving for a hot cup of tea, "From what I understand Ietsuna and her twin are very close. I doubt they would fight for the position of heir, even if Ietsuna actually desired it."

"You can never be certain," Reborn continued, "Though he may be satisfied with Ieyoshi, Nono would be truly happy with her. I'm curious as to what kind of reign she will bring."

* * *

In the absence of her usual guard, who had according to the latest trending rumour caught some sort of contagious disease, the teasing had almost started up again only to be crushed ruthlessly by her brother. Some had also forgotten the existence of Hibari, an almost impossible feat that would never occur again once they regained consciousness.

Tsuna couldn't bring herself to care though, feeling more and more down as time passed. She idly watched Gokudera call her brother out, and wondered if she should go eat lunch in the Reception Room despite the fact that only Kusakabe would be there at the moment.

"Tsuna-chan?" A quiet voice called her name, and she found it was Kyoko who sought her attention, "Would you like to eat together?" She was a little nervous, motioning to where Kurokawa Hana was waiting.

"That would be nice." Tsuna replied with a smidge of awe. It was the first time she would be eating with her other classmates.

"Great!" Kyoko brightened right up, smiling happily as she led Tsuna over to their table, "Onii-san is busy today so he shouldn't bother you." She added as an afterthought.

"I see." She could easily see how Kyoko was considered the school's female idol. She was just so bubbly and cute…

"So what is it like being courted by a monkey?" Hana's sharp voice asked as she sat down. Her friend didn't seem to mind the small slander to her brother, knowing all too well Hana's acute personality.

"It is an odd experience." Tsuna replied, admiring the fact that neither of them backed down from her gaze. It seems Takeshi's method of exposure had come to fruition, though it was a shame he was not here to see.

"If it really bothers you I can try talking to Onii-san again," Kyoko offered reluctantly, "Though he really does seem to like you…"

"I admire his enthusiasm," Tsuna admitted quietly, "And my heart does flutter whenever he comes to visit,"

"But…" The kind girl pressed, "Oh! Is it someone else?"

"No… yes, kinda-"

"Yamamoto?" Hana guessed boldly, voicing a popular rumour, "It's pretty obvious you two are close. Are you secretly dating?"

"…No?"

"Is it Hibari-senpai?" Trust Kyoko to be the brave one to ask, "You spend a lot of time in the Reception Room and he always beats up anyone who says a bad word about you." Was this what girls did when they got together, Tsuna thought to herself anxiously, trying to tackle the gossip as one would a life-or-death battle.

"Ah, really?" She also felt bad for thinking of the other girl as an airhead. It seemed like this whole time her keen sense of observation had been used for other things.

"If we're going that far then there's also the foreign students that sometimes wait around the gate," Her friend added, sounding a bit too much like a detective, "They come here specifically for you and we have a lot of heartbroken students because of them." Speaking of those two…it seemed like they were laying low, not that she could blame them.

"I never realized…" And how did she feel about all these candidates? Almost the same. If her heart decided to flop because she received a smile, then so be it. It was Takeshi's warm one, Kyoya's barely-there tilt of his lips, Mukuro's roguish smirk, Ryohei enthusiastic grin, Reborn- Oh no, why had his name popped up? There was Fon as well… No, he was her teacher and definitely off limits. And what about Xanxus? Tsuna was beginning to think she was getting ahead of herself. Wasn't this just her acknowledging handsome guys?

"For what it's worth, I think your brother's charming." Tsuna stated suddenly before clamping her mouth shut, after she had gone ahead and dug her grave. Her face heated as she opened her mouth again, but it took a few false starts before she was finally able to finish the thought, "But he definitely deserves someone other than me."

* * *

Tsuna knew something was wrong when her brother and the transfer student didn't return to class. Her intuition though, wouldn't let up, nagging her and drowning out everything else. With a weak excuse to use the bathroom she rushed out of class, walking not running, as fast as she could down the hallway. That same nagging feeling told her to look out the window just as she passed the taps, so she did.

"No way…" That was her brother all right, standing calmly despite the fire that looked to be stuck to his forehead. And that silver hair definitely belonged to Gokudera. But surely the red sticks he was throwing were just sticks. The fuse she saw was just her imagination…as well as the echoed shout of 'double bomb' in the distance. Oh, it was all real she accepted, watching as Yoshi desperately dived about to put out the fuses.

She saw a vision at that point. Not like an oracle or a seer, but just a simple possibility… With Gokudera holding so much dynamite it was amazing he didn't fumble. And like a prophet, she watched her musings come true. Without a moments delay she grabbed a nearby bucket of water, leftover from yesterday's cleaning, and poured it out the window. It drenched the poor boy, but luckily put out the fuses by his feet.

"Sorry!" She called loudly, as they turned their heads up, "But could you please stop fighting?" Her brother opened his mouth but whatever he replied with was drowned out by Gokudera's louder voice.

"Of course, Juudaime!" Oh god, that rebellious transfer student was kneeling with his forehead touching the ground. That wasn't normal right? Not by Italian standards and definitely not by Japanese…

"It is in the mafia." Tsuna jumped but didn't scream. It was bad enough she was shouting to people two stories down, but a scream would've definitely aggravated the lead prefect, wherever he was lurking.

"Reborn? Why are you at school?" He gave her his most innocent look, which still looked as if it belonged to a devil.

"That was Smokin' Bomb Hayato you just saved," Oh wow, Gokudera as young as he was, already had a name for himself in the underworld, "By saving him you've earned his loyalty. Congratulations on receiving your first underling."

"I don't need an underling-" She huffed.

"What?!" They may have only been on the second floor, but the speed that Gokudera arrived with was somewhat unnatural, "I promise I won't be a burden Juudaime! Just give me a chance!" He bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, hands pressed flat against his sides.

"No I didn't mean it like that," Tsuna added quickly, "I'm sure you can hold your own, but something like an underling is a bit much…maybe we could just be friends?"

"Such praise?!" He had an odd twinkle in his eyes that she barely glimpsed before he went back to his bowing, now blushing self. It was kinda…a little bit…

"Adorable?" Her head snapped around to face Reborn who was wearing than damnable smirk, "I couldn't help but overhear you and your classmates earlier…"

"Eh?" Couldn't help? She had no doubt it was done on purpose.

"I understand that a Sky tends to have a big heart," He continued somewhat confusingly, "But I hope that I'm your favourite."

"Ehh!?"

* * *

"…eh?" He supposed they really were father and daughter, Reborn mused as he listened in on the conversation. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can, it's just I won't…Sawada-san," Gokudera spewed out ungracefully, "I apologize but I decline the position as Ieyoshi-sama's guardian." Reborn had taken him aside the moment his loyalty had been decided, asking him simply if he 'understood the current situation'.

"Did my son not pass your test?" Iemitsu asked with a frown. The silver-haired teen shrugged without answer. The whole match was more or less null and void, as it was outweighed by something greater.

"Right now my life belongs to Ietsuna-sama," He stated confidently, "And I will spend it protecting hers."

"Tsuna?" The blonde failed to hide his surprise, "I suppose it would be good for her to have a bodyguard." He was counting on Ieyoshi to recruit Gokudera as his storm guardian, but would have to settle for a backup. It was important that he completed his circle as soon as possible. "Reborn are you ok with this?"

"I'm pleased in fact," The suited mafiaso replied, "Gokudera is reliable after all." The teen in question preened inwardly at the praise. If the great Reborn was saying as much, then he would strive to do his best at whatever role he needed to fill.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading~

Takeshi remains elusive and Tsuna takes the time to reevaluate her relationships and apparent type haha...

Despite how Gokudera appears at the moment, you can bet that there will be more highlighting his and Tsuna's relationship, beyond what appears to be an 'I-owe-you-my-life' level of loyalty.


	15. The Weight of Words

**A/N** Hello again,

I return with a dialogue heavy chapter haha. We're just building up relationships here, nothing too exciting.

Next up will be Lambo though, and then my bastardized Kokuyo arc. I'm still using chapter 20 as an estimate/goal for getting to Varia and the ring battles. Surprisingly though, we're making some good slow'n'steady progress.

Well, enjoy this chapter :)

* * *

 **~Chapter 15 – The Weight of Words**

For the next few days Gokudera follows her like an extremely loyal dog, never straying from her side more than necessary, and barking and growling at anyone he deems annoying or 'unworthy to be in her presence' which happens to be everyone but her family and the girls that invite her for lunch. Otherwise he conducts himself professionally with an impassive expression, at least he does so when not jumping eagerly at any and all words that come out her mouth, meaning to say not very often.

Iestuna tires from this pattern after only the third consecutive day and however many handfuls of hours spent together, because it just isn't right. Both the subservient behaviour coming from the contrarily proud teen and desperation that lingered in his eyes together with the fear of being left behind. So she takes him aside during their last period of school, ditching the unnecessary gym class because it's the one that she'll most likely be able to get away with, and asks for his story. Despite requesting it herself, she doesn't quite know how to feel when he freely told her everything. Or rather she disliked the idea that he would do whatever she asked, even though it made him so clearly uncomfortable.

"My name is Gokudera Hayato and I was conceived in an affair and born a bastard." His first sentence was accompanied by a pained grimace, and as he continued the unpleasant expression remained on his face, "My mother was half-Italian half-Japanese and an uninvolved musician… my father a full blooded mafiaso." He paused and breathed in deeply, holding his breath like he held his thoughts. And when he exhaled, his tale continued. "In the mafia, affairs aren't uncommon and there are rules, laws, of how they are dealt with. Between different famiglia it's always messy, but in the case where it is a civilian lover, it's relatively easy. The child is simply taken away and groomed into the mafia. My mother might be considered lucky for being able to see her child, but I think she was the most unfortunate. We only met three times a year up until I was three before I heard she had driven off a cliff. That's nine meetings, more than half of which I don't remember. And I had only learned she was my mother when I turned eight. The whole time I had cast her aside as a nameless stranger, albeit a kind one, but a stranger nonetheless. After learning that I left home," He continued with a shrug, leaving large gaps and a lot unsaid, "Couldn't get out of the mafia though, didn't know anything but the mafia, so I became a hitman. I heard about the Vongola heirs dying, there aren't many people who hadn't, though I was surprised when Iemitsu offered me a position as one of your brother's guardians. I was considering it too, but then I almost killed myself and you were the one to save me. So now I'm here, and this is where I will be unless you order me otherwise."

He met her stare as she assessed his words, green eyes flickering uncertainly, searchingly, as her amber gaze bore into his soul. Tsuna had no clue of what he hoped to find, or what he would inevitably see, yet decided that either way it was better for him to find his answer sooner rather than later. Sooner so she could understand why he was in such a hurry to burn himself out, why it seemed like he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, and why he thought that was his destiny. She closed her eyes, breathed in and breathed out, those amber irises just a tad brighter when they resurfaced. "Mama is a civilian as well, and she has no idea that her husband is a mafiaso, that he's renowned in the bloody underworld, heading his own covert organisation as Vongola's Young Lion." Tsuna came to the conclusion that he ought to go away with a story too. Honesty begets honesty, and he deserved, had more than earned, her own. "Papa may think he hides it well, but really, she just doesn't want to look. And just the same, I wasn't supposed to have known until the kidnapping incident." She hadn't tried to tell the story before, and it came out unrefined, Tsuna moving back to the beginning at Gokudera's insistent gaze. "My parents had been expecting a single child, a son according to the doctor, who would be named Tsunayoshi. Instead I was born and my brother followed moments after, or so I've been told, and Tsunayoshi became Ietsuna and Ieyoshi. Papa decided early on that Ieyoshi was to be his successor and took him to Italy before we had even entered preschool, he did not expect though that I would be following due to what was probably separation anxiety," The girl offered a wry smile, wringing her hands uneasily, "Father took us to Vongola mansion every once in a while when he had to turn in reports, and there I saw a man killed. That was my formal introduction to the mafia."

The silver haired teen grew contemplative, his mouth slowly but surely tilting downwards the longer he was left in his thoughts. "You-"

"I ran away," Ietsuna told him simply, "I became afraid of guns, of being shot, of people dying, and losing those I care about. I'm a coward, and for the past seven years I've tried to plead ignorance. But that's something I just can't do anymore, and now I'm finding myself in a tough situation. Tougher than I could've ever imagined." She pressed her fingers together lightly until they started to bend, the simple pressure easing her mind and tongue, "I can't go back to how I was, that is no longer an option, and really, it never was. But going from 'wanting nothing to do with it' to suddenly commanding what Reborn tells me is the 'largest and most powerful' faction, is more than a large leap into the unknown. I can't even comprehend that I would be offered such a chance, that as a no name, cowardly, civilian girl, I might suddenly have control over a criminal organisation. I would have subordinates, people that would die for me, people that would kill for me, and I'm not even sure I would be able to pull the trigger myself let alone be amidst all that death. It's a lot to consider Gokudera-san, but know that I would do it all in a heartbeat if it meant protecting my brother, if it meant keeping Yoshi safe." As it was she had already begun to overcome her fear of guns, of shooting and being shot she wasn't quite sure yet, but it was yet another hurdle that she would soon jump. Ietsuna simply no longer had the luxury of fear. "If I become Vongola Decimo, that will be my reason. I have no ambitions or goals regarding the underworld, and I could be the worst leader you eventually find yourself working under. So given all that, I have to ask you to really consider if this is what you want, to follow an ignorant, weak, most likely useless leader."

Their gazes met for the umpteenth time this conversation, but it was only now that Tsuna felt like he was truly looking at her. His green eyes were brighter and clearer, lacking the tell-tale glaze of admiration he had worn so well these past few days. They were sharp and brilliant and maybe a touch cold, while hers remained just as radiant and just as intense, except with a smouldering sort of warmth. This was a Gokudera she had yet to see, more wolf than dog, with fangs that could and would bite unlike a muzzled, tame, animal. Though Tsuna didn't expect the slight smile that bloomed on his serious face, softening his usual scowling countenance without being the excessive eagerness she had frequently seen, and it was nothing short of beautiful. "It would be my pleasure to stay by your side if you would allow." He bowed his head and followed with his body, just as deep as always but with a bit less tension in his shoulders, hiding the blush that rushed to his cheeks. He owed her his life, and that had been initially what earned his loyalty, but this now cemented it into his heart. She spoke truthfully though was more than a little self-deprecating, and whilst there was a lot for her to learn he was sure Reborn could help her through, the greatest hitman also undoubtedly seeing how great she could become. And if they hit walls she couldn't overcome, then Gokudera was more than willingly to climb over them for her. If she found herself unable to pull the trigger and kill a man, then he would gladly do it for her.

* * *

Her mother was a little bit of an airhead. She and her brother both loved her to death, but there were times where they couldn't understand how oblivious to things she was. For example, the first time they met Renato Sinclair. The suited male was probable the same age as them, sixteen, give or take a year, but was taller and just as impeccably dressed as his older counterpart. Nana accepted that he was Reborn's younger brother, and though he had mysteriously appeared in the house, rather than question it, she simply said "I hope you don't mind sharing a room with your brother, Renato-kun."

"Of course not Maman." He had replied.

Maybe that was why neither her brother or father thought to explain it to her, thinking she would simply accept the seemingly random age fluctuations as easily as her mother. To be honest she had, but for a vastly different reason. But that was one matter, and the name she had been pondering, another. "Renato Sinclair." It could've been an alias but her intuition said otherwise, telling her the name held meaning to the mysterious hitman.

"My mother was French, and I liked her name better than my father's." He stated on a whim. He blinked at her, mildly surprised with himself. Where had that come from? Loose lips must be a side effect of being in his younger form he decided, and then narrowed his eyes in a sharp glare directed at the girl. Tsuna quickly mimed the motion of zipping her lips, though not quite completely hiding her small smile. If that was what he wanted she would pretend as if she hadn't heard him.

"So, are you also…cursed?" He huffed, and shrugged as if it would remove the ever-present weight on his shoulders. It didn't.

"I'm an Arcobaleno," He said as if it answered things, "Has Fon told you anything else?" Of course he would know Fon, Tsuna thought to herself.

"Nothing at all."

"Good." Reborn was done with the conversation, and if he was done so was Tsuna. That didn't mean she was going to ignore the waves of… melancholy coming off him. She would just file it for later, adding it to the mental folder that also held Fon's occasional listlessness.

"Tsu-chan, Gokudera-kun's here!" The young mafiaso greeted her mother politely, before he was enthusiastically led into the living room, "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything to drink?" Nana rattled off a number of question, only truly satisfied when he was comfortably seated beside a plate of snacks and a cool drink. Tsuna noted he wasn't surprised by Reborn's younger appearance, and wondered if the 'Arcobaleno' were common knowledge in the underworld.

"We're legendary." Reborn said grandly, catching on to her thoughts. He was not a mind-reader she reminded herself. "How can you be sure?" He smirked and she pretended like she wasn't worried… and also that he hadn't made her blush with the smug smile worn on his younger face. It felt like she had to do this sort of pretending a lot these days.

"Are you okay, Tsuna-sama?" Gokudera pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, his concern endearing. She had very few friends after all, and liked to think that Gokudera was more friend than subordinate.

* * *

"Reborn," Tsuna paused, her pen hovering just above the page of her notebook, returning to the normality of studying in her room, "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," The man, and he was a man again, answered as he flipped the page of his book, "But go ahead and ask another." He oh so graciously allowed.

"Does Yoshi, does he actually want to become Vongola Decimo?" She couldn't see her brother as the head of a criminal organization, no matter how 'good' it was, but perhaps she no longer knew him as much as she thought she did. There could be more to this all she wasn't seeing, and had only just begun to consider so.

"In a way, yes," Reborn lowered his book and stared her straight in the eyes, "After all Iemitsu told him it would be the best way to keep you safe-"

"What kind of logic is that?!" She was outraged enough that she had cut off Reborn, and he promised himself to make sure she wouldn't do it again later on.

"It's the same thing that you want to do honestly." He mused, stalking over to her. His steady gaze was more calming than she thought and in moments her rational mind returned.

"Then why exactly did you suggest I become Decimo?" Her amber eyes were sceptical, "If my goal is the same as Ieyoshi then why wouldn't he be better? He's been trained since he was little, he knows more than I do, he's more prepared." She paused and frowned slightly, "Unless you want to keep him safe too?" She would be lying if she said it didn't hurt just a little bit, believing Reborn had chosen her brother over her. It was an unreasonable feeling though, because despite how close they might have become in this past month, he had spent longer with Yoshi. And if it came down to it, she'd probably choose her brother too.

"The question isn't which of the two of you I want safe, as the mafia does a spectacular job of putting everyone in danger, but who I think is more suitable to lead the Vongola." He let her stew on his words, watching as her fingers seemed to fiddle with themselves nervously.

"I'm flattered," Tsuna replied dryly, "But why on Earth do you think I would be more suitable to be Decimo? I know nearly nothing about Vongola, I can't fight as well as Yoshi, I'm clumsy, I can barely speak Italian, I'm not that smart, I'm afraid of guns- Hieeee!" She flinched as a bullet shot past her, lodging itself into her otherwise pristine wall. The barrel of Reborn's oddly green gun was smoking, and the gaze he pinned her with sharp enough to earn silence..

"Those are all things that can be easily fixed with time," He assured her, the gun amazingly transforming back into his chameleon, "But if you really want a reason, my guts telling me that you would make a better leader. I may not have the Vongola hyper intuition, but it has never led me wrong before." She could hardly believe it. In her head she had labelled Reborn as a pragmatic kind of man, but it looked like she would have to revise that.

"So what should I be doing now?" She asked him, the hitman raising a curious brow at her initiative.

* * *

Guardians, she needed guardians according to Reborn. A total of six to match each of the dying will flame types with exception of the sky, that particular element, apparently belonged to her. The hitman had given her a basic explanation, one that he would expand on later, telling her the bare minimum about these flames. She and many other bosses held the so-called rare Sky flame. It was this group that included her father and brother, and was all but required for anyone who wanted to take up Vongola's throne. And what was once a coincidental tradition in the famiglia, now turned requirement, was to bring together a group of people holding the remaining flame types. As loyal subordinates, advisors, bodyguards, whatever it meant to keep them close. There had simply never been a Vongola boss without the full set of guardians.

She needed a surging storm, a calming rain, a sun that will shine, a cloud that may drift, a mist that eludes and entraps, and a lighting that protects. Differing flames were borne from varying personalities of course there may always be exceptions, contradictions, as humans are naturally contrary creatures. So Reborn had told her to ignore all attempts at amateur profiling, to leave it to him as he was a professional, and to just gather up as many allies as she could. He shared the sneaking suspicion that the auras she saw were in fact related to flames, confirming himself to be a sun and Fon a storm, so she should keep an eye out for every and any colours she witnessed. Gokudera was a storm too, 'her storm' he pointed out, also accurately guessing that the prefect in her school was responsible for the purple page in her journal. He didn't stop there, trying to wheedle information from her about the 'two, not one' indigo pages, though was left ultimately unsatisfied by her response.

"All you need is lightning." He told absentmindedly over her shoulder, more than willing to through her friends into the mafia with her. And she had no doubt in her mind that he would do it without a single shred of remorse, in fact he had already begun. Knowing this, Iestuna walked the quiet streets of Namimori with resolve in her eyes. She trusted Kyoya to not fall to Reborn's baiting when he eventually waltzed into Namimori High, and she trusted Mukuro to keep Chrome and himself as hidden as they had already been in the eyes of the mafia. Ryohei she would have to have a talk with, a proper conversation, one that was long overdue but would have to wait a fraction longer. Because now she had someone else to speak with. With a deep breath she stopped in front of Namimori's iconic sushi bar, and pausing only momentarily in front of TakeSushi's wooden doors.

"Welcome!" Tsuyoshi greeted, eyes sharpening to an unnoticeable degree as he identified his guest. "Takeshi's in his room if you're looking for him, Ietsuna-chan," He told her pleasantly enough, "Would you like me to call him down?" The girl shook her head, taking the final few steps into the establishment quietly. She stood before the elder Yamamoto and caught his gaze before bowing, arms held tight to her side and tilting down the full ninety degrees Gokudera seemed to favour.

"I'm sorry Tsuyoshi-san." Her voice came out strong but held a remorseful quality. At this point in time there were no more facades, no jovial, small-town chef, or a quiet, boring, high school girl. In this moment there was only Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, a forgotten swordsman who had found a small peace in this quaint town, and Sawada Ietsuna, the daughter of a mafiaso that would drag his son down into the underworld with her.

He couldn't tell her that 'it was fine' because it really wasn't. And he just knew Takeshi's mother would be rolling in her grave if she found out what her baby had gotten caught up in. But she also didn't know Tsuna like he did, didn't know about Takeshi's feeling like he did, and how the baseball loving boy had easily dropped his bat and picked up the sword for this girl. "You mean the world to him," Tsuyoshi told her seriously, "There's no doubt he would follow you wherever you went, as a friend, as a protector, or as more I had hoped. It's just a shame you seem to be heading towards an unpleasant place."

"I tried to stop him." She protested weakly, but they both knew how stubborn his son could be.

"You expected him to leave?" Tsuna could only shake her head dolefully. The older man tilted his head up and exhaled, as if searching for answers from the heavens. Truth be told he had expected this when his son had first caught interest, when he had later begged to be taught how to fight, how to swing a sword in a way far more brutal than a normal dojo would teach. He sighed at the inevitable. "It would be against nature," He uttered cryptically, "For rain to fall upwards."

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for readin'

Three cheers for heart-to-heart conversations. You can expect them to be littered throughout this fic.

Also, this Gokudera has yet to reconcile with his family (namely his sister) and still believes his mothers death to be a homicide. (Because I think he only learned the truth in the future from Bianchi?) This, will be similar with other characters and their issues, should they pop up.

I'm also glad this fic is doing well and hope y'all look forward to the next chapter.


	16. Bring Back Those Halcyon Days

**A/N** Hello!

Ooooh I'm starting to get super excited with this fic~ There are so many things I could expand and play with but I know I want the story to progress as well... even though its tempting to have pages and pages of dialogue haha. Especially when new people pop up (because really it's hard for me to dislike any off the characters).

And remember, _italics = Italian._

* * *

 **~Chapter 16 – Bring Back Those Halcyon Days**

Their home was modest, tall like its neighbours with a neatly fenced off yard, perfect for a humble family. When it was just her and Mama it had been too large, too empty. Things were better when Takeshi entered the picture, laughing, smiling and warm as he was. The house felt a little more welcome when his father finally lost to Nana's persuasion and more frequently stayed to chat after a dinner delivery, with and sometimes rarely without his son. And it more than delighted Nana if Kusakabe, in place of the solitary skylark, would drop by with small gifts to chat with the woman like an old friend.

With the return of her father and brother, most of these visits had become rarer and swapped for a newer range of guests. Reborn had claimed their lone guest room, and with his constant presence the house was full for the first time. Gokudera swept in like the storm he was, arriving just as Takeshi would have, bringing a certain liveliness and spirit that only he could. And almost immediately after, came his sister. Poison Scorpion Bianchi had been Iemitsu's answer to his son losing Gokudera, and she had been easy enough to obtain, with both her love towards Reborn a known Vongola ally and the fact they had let her earlier attempt towards an heir's life go unpunished. Ietsuna herself was on the fence when it came to the undoubtedly beautiful woman, because she definitely didn't think that her adoration of the hitman was worth the life of her brother, but she was assured the woman was more than loyal even if she was a bit overenthusiastic at times.

"No one would have fallen for those attempts," Her brother reassured, recounting the hectic week in Italy before they boarded the plane, "She's smart enough to know that a lot of people would have been on her tail if she stepped up her game and I died, so she kept it at a level where it would be my own stupid fault if I died. No ruler is better than an idiotic one." And at his words, Tsuna relented and gave into the urge to draw her paint her crimson aura, further confirming Reborn's suspicion.

"Basil will be blue." The suave man later told her, and before Tsuna could consider how the potted herb on the kitchen windowsill would magically change colours, another unfamiliar guest appeared at their dinner table. Arriving just a couple days after Bianchi, was their father's protégé and apparently her brother's best friend, Basil, who as Reborn predicted glowed just as blue as his eyes. The boy was nice enough, polite to a fault, and spoke with an odd combination of outdated Japanese, Iemitsu's idea of a long-running joke, and modern slang, her brother's attempt to fix it.

This sat her Yoshi on two out of the six required guardians, with their father keeping his reserves waiting in the wings, more than ready to call for allies and candidates from overseas. "Soon…" Reborn reminded her. There would be no more time for respite when the battle began, of both a physical and mental kind, she would hit the ground running with no end in sight. A marathon if there ever was one. 'Soon' though the hitman had cautioned, not 'now', which meant there was still time leftover for her to build her strength and her resolve. That there was supposed to have been time for thinking, had a new sort of pandemonium, not set in.

* * *

 _"The water's too hot."_ The fedora wearing Italian had taken a single, meagre, sip before putting the cup down to join it's many, still full, brethren, _"Again."_ Tsuna sighed, and repeated the process, hearing a small huff of dissatisfaction. " _Too slow, do it again."_

" _You didn't even taste it._ " The girl grumbled, diligently rinsing the last cup they had.

 _"I don't need to, you left it for too long."_ He watched her with the eyes of a hawk, as she handed him the next cup, but for all his attention it seemed like he hadn't noticed the insistent knocking. Tsuna on the other hand was unable to ignore the unusual sound, watching as her mother made to open the front door. " _The pressure is too low."_ He commented, leaving her fumbling through a needlessly complicated manual as to calibrate the ridiculous machine that had been specifically ordered for her tutor's caffeinated needs.

"Ara? Can I help you?"

 _"Die Reborn!"_ A green breeze swept past Nana, speaking Italian in the high pitch of a child.

"Uh, Reborn there's-"

" _Italian Tsuna."_ The fedora-wearing male cut in boredly.

 _"Right, well there's a kid that's trying to…assassinate you."_ She watched wide-eyed as the curly-haired kid, in a cow-patterned jumpsuit of all things, ran up to the hitman with an obnoxiously coloured gun aimed haphazardly towards them. Her heart jumped when his tiny fingers pulled the trigger only for an empty click to resound in the room, and as he flailed the useless firearm around in an effort to 'make it work', Reborn simply picked the child up before throwing him out an all too conveniently open window. The whole commotion began, lasted and ended, within ten mere seconds.

" _Continue."_ He ordered his student, so she did. When the knocking resumed though, Tsuna was hard-pressed to keep her focus, especially when her mother let the persistent kid back in.

" _Long time no see Reborn, It's me Lambo!"_ He was disregarded by the older male in favour of Tsuna's latest trial, and she had to wonder why the hitman was so determined to ignore the kid.

" _Much better. It would be perfect if we could get some higher-grade beans."_ There was a slight tremble to Lambo's mouth and a suspiciously watery sheen to his eyes, but there was less than a moment before she saw his expression firm-up. In his next move he pulled out a large knife, something that worried her much more than the gun with the careless way he waved it around. He ran forward again, with yet another battle cry only to be mercilessly kicked away, the kid's knife embedding itself into the wall beside his curly head a fraction after his back hit it.

" _Oh, that hurt…I must've tripped over something."_ Shaky legs stood the small body up and Tsuna felt her heart twinge a little as the kid furiously wiped at his eyes. What was the world coming to if such a young child was seriously trying to assassinate someone? Where he was allowed to wield a whole array of dangerous weapons without anyone around to keep him from hurting himself.

" _Hey, are you paying attention, Tsuna?"_ Reborn drawled, tapping his fingers against his leg impatiently.

 _"I'm not,"_ She replied with a frown on her lips and defiance in her eyes, _"Are you alright, kid?"_ Tsuna turned to the wary boy, crouching and inspecting for any other injuries apart from the angry mark on his forehead, whilst simultaneously ignoring the green sparks that danced along his skin.

 _"Lambo is fine!"_ He shouted loudly despite the tremble in his voice, smacking the hand she had outstretched to examine his bruising temple, _"Leave me alone!"_ Like a cornered animal he backed away, pulling out a large, purple coloured object from his person. It was a cannon of all things, like something you could find at a toy store, that she had no idea how he had concealed until now. _Danger_ , her mind told her. Even as the boy pointed the weapon at himself, and even though Reborn looked more amused than anything else. _Danger,_ her intuition told her, and seeing as it had never lied before she deemed it fitting to act. In that one moment there had been Lambo's screaming, the quiet click of a trigger pulled, and a muffled sort of explosion as Tsuna threw herself into the line of fire.

* * *

Ietsuna had lost herself. Her mind, awake and aware, had been thrown into a messy whirlwind, and when it released her she could only stumble towards the nearest stable surface. She had been thankful for the fact it was a desk and not the floor she had chosen.

 _"Are you ok?"_ Came a slightly panicked voice, tinged with worry, _"Miss?"_ She tilted her head up to meet a pair of mesmerising eyes, the pale purple of it even more unusual than the white of his hair.

 _"Ah, y-yes."_ She ignored the slight surprise in his eyes, taking in her surroundings. It was as vibrant as it was hushed, every surface covered in a new colour that came from the array of blooming flowers. Striking, red roses. Soft, delicate bluebells. Bright, warm sunflowers. Though as colourful as it all was, nothing compared to the angelic man behind the desk, cradling a bundle of white lilies wrapped in a single translucent, matching ribbon.

 _"I'm sorry, but were you here with your sister?"_ A pleasant tenor asked, continuing when only confusion showed on her face. _"Your eyes,"_ he explained tapping on his temple, _"They're very similar."_ Unsure, Tsuna gave a slight nod, startled by the smiled that popped onto the man's handsome face. _"Perfect,"_ He peered around her as if to find someone, _"Did you know if she wanted these wrapped in paper?"_ He held the lilies out towards her, each one of them flawless with a reserved scent that tickled her nose.

 _"I'm not sure,"_ Tsuna found herself replying in her accented Italian, _"What were they for again?"_

 _"A funeral."_ He answered, simply and sombrely. _"How about I show you how they look wrapped?"_ He suggested at her empty look. He took her silence as a yes, turning his back for the short few seconds it took the girl to disappear from his store. _"What do you think?"_ Surprise painted his features as he was reunited with his original conversation partner.

 _"Perfect."_ The woman stated, giving him a sad sort of smile. The florist returned the gesture, all the while marvelling at how two pairs of eyes could look so similar yet so vastly different at the same time.

* * *

"Welcome back." Tsuna returned feeling just as out of sorts as when she left it. She found herself sitting on her bed in her room, instead of by the kitchen sink where they had all been last. Lambo was siting contentedly on her lap, kicking his legs and loudly munching on some candy if the wrappers littered around her were anything to go by.

"What just happened?" She asked, wondering if she had passed out or begun to hallucinate.

"Well you see, the Bovino family that the brat belongs to, whilst being one of the smaller and less renowned groups, happens to have a range of very interesting tools at their disposal," The hitman explained in a longwinded fashion, "The one you got hit with was the Ten-year Bazooka, which like the name suggests, switches the current you with your ten-year older counterpart. I imagine the current head gave it to Lambo for protection, what with the brat being his only son and all."

"Seriously?" Try as she might she could tell that he hadn't spoken any lies, "That sort of thing is closer to magic than technology…"

"With the correct materials and a suitable power source you'll find that the current laws of nature can be swayed to a certain extent." He shrugged loosely, pinning her with a hard stare, "That aside though, I found the you from the future to be quite interesting." There was a certain pride in his eyes, hidden underneath a smug expression, all because he had caught a glimpse of a very infamous ring around her right, index finger.

"Was I happy?" Iestuna asked quietly, finding it more than easy to piece together the situation. She held his gaze, trusting the man with the truth.

"…You looked a bit tired," He gave. Though despite looking both physically and mentally exhausted, she had still smiled at him, letting the hitman believe that there was no resentment for forcing her down this path. "What did you see?"

"I was in Italy I think," She ran her hands through Lambo's hair, marvelling both at how soft it was and the fact the rambunctious kid allowed it, "Buying flowers for a funeral."

* * *

Reborn had tactfully eased off after the bazooka incident, giving the girl more than enough space and time to collect herself. She soothed herself mainly by spending her time with Lambo, her future self apparently performing some sort of miraculous feat that endeared the boy to her regardless of the version. Her mother as well was instantly charmed by the boy, happily bringing him into the folds of their family, and away from the famiglia. Reborn had dropped any ideas of recruitment after she had simply told him, in an unwavering calm tone, that Lambo lacked any notable aura. And whilst that small lie had covered half other her problems, the other, her father, could not be so easily convinced.

"It's a bit late to try and pull him out Tsu-chan," Her father told her wryly, "The Bovino heir is a born mafiaso. He might be a bit wet behind the ears now, but in a few years, he could potentially be quite impressive."

"Wet behind the ears?" His daughter repeated incredulously, "He's only seven... still just a kid. Lambo should be running around in school playgrounds, not being taught how to kill people!" And even though her brother looked a largely uncomfortable with their father's persistent attempts at recruiting the boy, he hadn't done anything to stop the man either. "What on earth is so urgent that you both need him this desperately?" She tugged on her hair, feeling the stress of everything starting to get to her.

"Do you know what guardians are, Tsuna?" Her brother asked whilst Iemitsu remained wisely silent, "They're considered to be the Vongola's main famiglia members and hold certain authority above others. They are the shield and sword of Vongola, and if the boss is considered the mind, they are the heart." Tsuna nodded in acknowledgment, giving him to 'ok' the continue, "Every generation's boss has had a total of six guardians, one to represent each dying will flames, it's a necessity."

"And you want to make Lambo, who's is just a kid, take over all those responsibilities?" She turned her gaze to her father, knowing the man had the last say in all of this.

"We're hoping it's a role he can grow into, but beforehand we'll look after him," The man assured, "It's just that Lambo has some specific qualities that make him an ideal candidate."

"And those are?" She pressed without falter.

"He's a lightning attribute." It was a confirmation of her fears. Not that she let it outwardly show.

"And that's it?" Tsuna shot back, "If that's the case wouldn't any lightning do? Can't you just go find someone more suitable? In the first place is there a method to determine what flame type someone is?"

"Lambo is the most suitable lightning we've come across," He left out that part that it was his young age that would allow him to be better moulded, "And flames come from the heart, they reflect who you are. With enough experience you can become fairly adept in categorising people." His words were more or less in line with what Reborn had told her before.

"And when you're wrong?"

"There's a ring test," Iemitsu continued, "If you have enough resolve you should be able to manifest your flame. It is easier to do so through a conduit, which rings are popular for, and the colour should reflect your attribute."

"Let me try then." Tsuna was thankful for the fact Reborn was absent, knowing that he would definitely not approve of her actions.

"You're a sky though Tsuna," Her brother cut in, "Even I can tell that."

"Please." She asked of her father, palm outstretched, because suddenly the path seemed to open up before her. Now there seemed to be more obvious actions for her to take that would achieve the same goal. Guardians were the sword and shield, were they? Then in that case she would be able to protect Yoshi well enough like that. Instead of taking his place as Decimo, maybe she could take Lambo's as the lightning guardian. Two birds with one stone, and all that.

"I'll show you an example," Iemitsu said thoughtfully, retrieving a plain band of silver from his pocket, "It's easier if the particular ring is attuned to the attribute you want to test but in cases like these I carry around some neutral ones…" He didn't even wear it, merely held it in his palm, as it flared to life, producing a hard, orange flame. "It shouldn't feel hot, maybe a little warm, but the fire you channel wouldn't be capable of burning you." The flames that grew in an instant, disappeared even quicker, and he tossed the oddly cold ring to her in his final act.

"How does this work?" Tsuna asked, turning over the band of metal.

"Put it on and channel your resolve, it's as simple as that." It was a bit too large for most of her fingers, only fitting loosely on her thumb, but it would do. And with that set, Tsuna made to follow the vague instructions. _Green,_ she chanted in her mind. No matter how confident Reborn was, the flame that she would make would be green, and she would be lightning. She thought back to Lambo, and the bright sparks that played across him when he was laughing, smiling, playing. And then she thought about the future she had visited, wondering for the umpteenth time since if those funeral flowers had been for someone she currently knew, or had yet to meet. Selfishly she hoped it was the latter. But either way she knew now, that there was no time for her indecision, that she had to get stronger before those around her were hurt and not after. And all she needed to take that first step was for the ring to light up.

"…Eh?"

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

So I've been considering the uh... mechanics of the KHR world. And boy has it given me food for thought.

For example when I think of flames, if they're personality based like I've assumed, multiple flames would become less rare than single flames. Given that the people in question were able to manifest them that is. But this I'll consider more as the story progresses.

And hello time travel, a confusing topic that makes my head hurt if i think too deeply. I plan to have fun with this one and ignore all the plot-holes I end up making.

Anyway, look forward to the next chapter :)


	17. With Intentions Neither Good nor Bad

**A/N** Hello~

So we're making some progress. From the last chapter we kinda opened into the Byakuran arc and that will continue to unfold slowly as we work through the Kokuyo and Varia arc.

We are also pushing are way to the harem here...No man will be left behind hehe...

* * *

 **~Chapter 17 – With Intentions Neither Good nor Bad**

"What in the world was she thinking?!" Reborn slammed his fists onto the table in a show of anger, the cooling tea in front of him spilling over the edge of the cup as it shook. He'd like to say he couldn't understand her thoughts, but her intentions were more than obvious, and to some extent he was angrier at himself for not expecting the sudden turn in the situation.

"Maa, calm down Reborn, Ietsuna only did what she thought was right," Fon, despite the quality of his flames, remained calm. He had known the girl for longer, knew that the urge to protect was built into her nature, and that she would pick the option that suited it the best.

"I leave for one moment, and she throws all my effort into the nearest bin." The hitman cradled his head in exasperation. He had left for approximately two hours, just to take some time to work out the schedule between him Fon, and then when he had returned Iemitsu, had greeted him with a that stupid foolish smile of his. He had been told the news as if it were something to be celebrated, and he supposed to the blond idiot it was, but how did no one but him see how wrong it was? Why could they not see the potential she held? "It's my fault," Reborn muttered despondently, "It's what I get for trying to keep her hidden." He should have had her stake her claim the moment she had left the hospital, regardless if she wanted the title or not.

"It wouldn't have changed the fact she's a lightning element." Fon said in an attempt to comfort the man.

"Do you truly believe that?" The hitman pressed, "That Ietsuna is not a sky?"

"I admit I'm a bit stumped, but the evidence is there isn't it?" Truth be told even he had been 100% sure that she was a sky before this incident.

"She forced it," Reborn explained through gritted teeth, "She's likely a dual wielder, and during the test, supressed her sky flames in favour of her lightning ones. I've seen her in Hyper Dying Will Mode before and her flames had definitely been orange."

"But I suppose it's a bit late to reveal that if the CEDEF Head is set on making her a guardian…"

"Exactly." The Italian slumped down in his seat, feeling an odd sort of exhaustion wash over him.

"So, have you confronted Ietsuna about this?" His old friend asked.

"No."

"And why not?" Fon received a helpless shrug for his troubles, Reborn obviously sinking into a more childish mindset. "Don't you think It's something you do?"

"Why? It's not like she talks to me about anything," The hitman complained, "Or listens to me."

"Reborn," The Storm Arcobaleno sighed, "Fine, I'll go have a chat with her then. Do you know if she's at home?"

"She should've been," He answered, meaning that she currently wasn't, "Maman might've sent her off the pick-up groceries." Reborn seemed content to remain where he was, slouched across the table and looking nothing like the refined Italian hitman he was. "Oh, but I just remembered," his head perked up ever so slightly, catching the Chinese man just before he walked out the door, "I think that apprentice of yours was there, trying to assassinate Baka-Yoshi if I remember correctly."

* * *

Fon had chosen that moment to test his title as the Fastest Arcobaleno, though he was sure it didn't exactly apply in this way. In practice it took an average person twenty minutes to run from the dojo to the Sawada residence, and Fon accomplished this in just under five. He had burst into the house prepared to intercept his apprentice's attempts at assassination, but instead the commotion he had thought to be a fight had turned out to just be a rowdy household.

"I-pin!" First and foremost he checked the girl for injuries, and only after confirming she was unharmed did he turn to the rest of his gathered audience. "It's come to my attention that there may have been a misunderstanding and I'd like to apologize for any trouble cause by my apprentice."

"It's fine," Vongola's Young Lion waved off, "Nothing we couldn't handle. In fact it was good experience for Yoshi."

"Ara, Fon-san," Nana, as always, remained oblivious despite the lingering hints in the air, "Are you here to pick up I-pin? Or can I convince you to stay for dinner?"

"The former sadly enough Nana-san," He replied politely, "I'd hate to decline your invitation but I'm currently on some urgent business." If that was what consoling a moping hitman could be considered.

"Next time then." The woman promised, retreating back to the kitchen to resume whatever she had been doing prior.

"Do I want to know why you are so familiar with my wife?" The blond was still smiling though his gaze turned sharp and wary.

"You don't know?" The man turned to his son, and was rewarded with a confused shake of his head. "I am Ietsuna's current martial arts teacher," Fon eventually explained, "Reborn had already discovered this early on so I had just assumed he would pass on the knowledge. He likely forgot to mention it, seeing as it was far from pressing."

"Haa, that's just like him," Iemitsu agreed, never once thinking that the hitman might've purposely withheld information, "But who would've thought you'd choose Namimori for your retirement."

"It's peaceful, and the culture is not too different to the one I grew up with," China was no longer their home, even if they left the Triad on civil terms, "I also thought I-pin might enjoy a civilian life here."

"And yet she's still taking hits?" Fon frowned at his apprentice, the uncommon expression radiating his disappointment.

"That was one of mine," He admitted, "In return for taking I-pin I was given another set of targets. She thought to help me out but really I would prefer she start distancing herself from all this." His words were as much of an explanation as they were a warning to the other man. He would not take it well if he tried to pull I-pin into the mess that was the mafia. With that said he peered down at the girl now hugging his left leg, "Did you see Jiejie?"

"No… I looked but there was only Broccoli Monster!" The girl hid further behind him and following her gaze he spotted the young Bovino heir making rude faces.

"Sawada-san, do you know where your daughter is? I wanted to talk to her about her training." The blonde shook his head unhelpfully. But his son seemed to have at least some input.

"She said she was going to visit some friends," Her twin inputted, "But that she'd be back in time for dinner."

"In that case I hope you wouldn't mind if I waited for her." Fon replied looking at the clock. It was almost six o'clock, which meant Nana was already preparing dinner in the kitchen. Tsuna should returning anytime now.

"No problem." Iemitsu relayed the news to his wife who excitedly sat the martial artist down with some hot tea. All in all it made waiting a far more enjoyable task, especially as he got to watch his apprentice resume 'playing' with the other child. It was a simple enough task, Fon simply watching as the minutes ticked by. And yet despite her brother's words, despite what had been her own words, Ietsuna missed dinner in its entirety, never returning home that night.

* * *

"What are you doing Mukuro?" It had been a long time since she had stopped adding the honorific, not that he had ever cared for it.

"What are you talking about Ietsuna-hime?" Despite his mannerisms and the down of his voice, he failed to come off as confused, with a knowing glint lingering in his eyes.

"There's something wrong about this," She stated, folding her hands in her lap, "And I know it's your doing." Tsuna remembered arriving in Kokuyo in the late afternoon, just as the sun began its descent and took on a distinct orange glow. She had passed on some food, enough for the four of them, Chikusa and Ken included because even if they only recently started to respond to her greetings and chatter, they had been part of the group from the beginning.

"Such distrust," He held his heart in mock pain, "But really I haven't done anything." His act wasn't really going to fool anyone and she didn't even need her intuition to tell her it was a lie. "You do look a little bit tired though. Maybe you should take a nap," He suggested genially, "I'll wake you up later." Suddenly he was beside her, or maybe he had been there from the beginning, coaxing her head down onto his lap. And as his fingers worked themselves ever so gently into her hair and she found her eyes too heavy to keep open. But as nice as it was, it didn't help remove the feeling of wrongness. Her mind refused to relax, and there was an odd ungraspable feeling that nagged her. It brought her to her memories, which were far foggier than usual. She had arrived in Kokuyo, late in the afternoon, and passed on food simply because she remembered a time when they all looked far too thin. Then she had talked with Chrome, sat and chatted idly, something they really didn't do enough of. And even though her memories were vague at best, she could swear that the eyepatch wearing girl had suggested a nap just like her brother. That brought Ietsuna to a very simple problem as she couldn't remember having ever woken up.

"So I'm dreaming," She said knowing, feeling a slight twitch in his knees, "And you're here with me." The expression she saw when she opened her eyes was one she had never seen on his face in the years they had known each other. But then again, they had always been holding each other at an arms distance hadn't they. "Would you let me wake up?" Ietsuna asked.

"I can't." Mukuro answered, his hands never stopping their soothing pattern.

"You mean you won't." There was no urgency in getting up, not when the only way she would be waking up was if he allowed.

"You're right, I won't." He clarified, pressing his lips into a firm line.

"Mukuro," Something had clearly changed in the short while that they hadn't met, and she was fairly sure she knew what had been the catalyst, "Is this about the mafia?" She felt the muscles in his legs tense, a sure sign of confirmation.

"When isn't it?" She watched as his right eye shifted into something unnatural, red with the character for six engraved onto it in place of his pupil, "You know, things would have been easier if we hadn't met." There was a certain tone to his voice, a feeling she didn't quite have the words to describe.

"But what a shame that would've been." Tsuna uttered, catching sight of his wistful indigo shroud.

"Indeed." His gaze softened and his voice remained sincere, vastly different from his younger self that she had also shared a dream with. "Ah, I remember that," Her thoughts in this dreamscape seemed to drift between their minds and were as much his as they were hers, "There's nothing wrong with running, correct? I remember that young girl, troubled by the sight of a man being shot down, and how much she wanted to return to Japan. I was curious as to what was so great about this 'Namimori' so when I escaped that was the first place I had thought to go. Though in my haste to leave Italy I regret that I didn't do more than burn down the labs. There's nothing wrong with running, yes, but I regret that I hadn't spent the time to crush them."

'Estraneo' Tsuna heard hatefully whispered into her head, putting the name aside for later amongst the other things she had gleamed. "And what you're doing now is a step towards that revenge?"

"Yes," The blue haired teen answered truthfully, "I will bring down the mafia in its entirety, but for that I need a certain amount of power and authority that no illusions can replace."

"You need the Vongola then," She slowly pieced together, remembering Reborn's long winded spiels about the strongest mafia famglia, "Is that why I'm here?"

"Yes and yes," He acknowledged, "I'm thankful you have quite a good relationship with the future Decimo, after all it makes you better bait. So eventually he'll come to rescue you, if not for that then as revenge for a couple of his subordinates I may or may not have targeted, and when he arrives I'll simply help myself to his body." He spoke of absurdity in the most serious manner, leaving Tsuna no choice but to accept it as a possibility.

"Would I not be good enough?" She asked, "I can stake as much of a claim on the title as Yoshi can, and you already happen to have me at your mercy so to speak."

"But that would put you in danger," The words came out slowly and purposefully from his mouth, "And that's unacceptable."

"Mukuro, you-"

"Chrome was distraught when we saw you in the hospital," The heterochromatic teen interrupted, "And I couldn't say I felt much better." He raised his free hand and gently laid it against her side, fingers tapping against where a scar had recently bloomed on her skin. Already she had come to terms with the fact he knew far more than he was supposed to. "The mafia is dangerous, more than you know, more than you think you know," He silenced her with a look when she opened her mouth to protest, "Don't underestimate it Ietsuna-hime."

"This, this is something I have to do Mukuro…" The amber-eyed girl tried to reason.

"No, you're still not getting it. This is something you are being forced to do for a compromised outcome," He held back a snarl on the sole premise that it wasn't for her but instead owed to those around her, "I don't know what lies the Arcobaleno fed you to get you dancing to his sick tune, but know that it won't help at all in 'saving' your dear brother. You don't get to just up and leave the underworld like that," There was a lot of hate in his words, directed both outwards at the world around them and spitefully, inwards towards himself, "It's not as simple as playing the substitute. The only thing you'll obtain is your own demise, and regardless of what you do, those around you will fall accordingly.

"I'll protect them." It went unsaid that her 'them' included Mukuro just as much as the rest of them and not any less.

"How? With what power?" His words should have come out more condescendingly, more mockingly, but all he managed was an unclear harshness, "You're hopeless if you can't even break an illusion this weak." That being said he hadn't held back at all when casting it, nor would he lessen the intensity despite the growing drain he felt, "I am strong," He told her with a certainty that wouldn't be swayed, "Strong enough to protect one measly girl and smart enough to know when sacrifices must be made. Your problem is that you think your soul alone is enough payment to save everyone around you when really, it's the opposite. The way I see it you lack resolve," He paused for a second, catching her gaze with his own, "Logically protecting a group of people is far easier than the entire town, and similarly a small handful is easier than a large group. A couple people compared to that group is once again easier, more assured. If you follow that thought sensibly, you should find that choosing a single person would be the most undemanding and have the highest success rate. You're stuck on trying to protect you friends, your family," His expression flickered to distaste briefly before settling on something akin to pity, "You can't choose, no, you refuse to choose, So I took my pick instead. I will protect you and only you, even if the rest of the world has to burn for it."

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

So I think this was brought up already but yes, the general idea is that a person who only uses sky flames will have purer flames than a sky flame user that has high aptitude with other flame types (i.e. in layman's terms, Ieyoshi has purer sky flames than Ietsuna, but he is unable to utilise other flame types). Some pro's, some con's...

So some things are different and yet we're still trying to follow the canon. The whole I-pin incident more or less happened again (and actually Ieyoshi's probably earned a bit of loyalty from the girl after going through that ordeal).

I did though, change some of Mukuro's past (call it the influence of meeting Tsuna). Estraneo, unfortunately still exists, because in this world he made escape his priority (immediately removing himself and his friends from the mafia scene in Italy). Really I'm just delaying the inevitable though...


	18. In the Manner Which Things Unfold

**A/N** H-h-h-h-how's it hanging?

This chapter will be covering the main bulk of the Kokuyo arc. Yep, a single chapter for the whole Mukuro fiasco.

And if I happen to gloss over any and every fight scene...well maybe I'll try a bit harder in the future to make up for it (but really who is here for poetic renditions of fists in faces?)

Also I have feeling the relationships I'm going to be making might be a little sketchy hueheuheu...

But anyway, forward we go, on a journey to collect the characters we are oh-so obsessed with...

* * *

 **~Chapter 18 – In the Manner Which Things Unfold**

"His name is Rokudo Mukuro," Iemitsu explained to the others in the room, flipping through a folder of intel that had been brought by one of his subordinates, "It seems like he was one of the kids experimented on by Estraneo that escaped a couple years back, so it would be unsurprising if he held a grudge against the mafia because of that."

"And he took Tsuna because of me?" Ieyoshi all but growled out. Already Bianchi and Basil had been put in the hospital due to anonymous attacks obviously orchestrated by the illusionist, a crude act that had done its job in provoking the Vongola heir. To top it off he had even gone through the extra effort of procuring a valuable hostage that would guarantee Yoshi's appearance in this grand play.

"Yes." His father confirmed with a serious expression. "Unlike the kidnapping incident, we will not be taking part in the coming battles," He gestured to himself and the two Arcobelenos beside him, "The higher ups are using this as a chance to test your strength and whether or not you are worthy enough to hold the title of Decimo." Of course, they still couldn't risk their only heir dying so if it came down to life or death he was given permission to interfere.

"Of course we aren't asking you to take on Mukuro and his gang alone," Reborn added, impatience tinting his voice, "It would be ideal if you had a full set of guardians able to back you up, but seeing as the ones you do have are incapacitated, I've called in two others to help."

"Those two?" Ieyoshi glanced to the side where an aggravated Gokudera sat, chewing on an unlit cigarette and toying with his lighter. Beside him unexpectedly, was Yamamoto, who had shown up at their doorstep moments after Reborn had called despite his earlier absence in the past month. "I understand Gokudera but…"

"I vouch for Yamamoto's skills," The sun Arcobeleno added, watching said teen intensely, "He has talent as a swordsman and more than enough resolve." The boy was oddly calm, his expression thoughtful and lacking any obvious anxiety despite the trouble Tsuna was currently in.

"Are you aware of the situation Yamamoto-kun?" Fon probed lightly.

"Ah, yeah," As if he hadn't been listening, he was slow to come out of his thoughts and respond, "Mukuro took Tsuna right?"

"Do you even care?!" Gokudera had obviously had enough with the other teens quiet calmness, snapping at him bitterly, "That's right, how could you? Seeing as you ran off the moment you heard she was involved with the mafia." The former baseball played didn't try to defend himself, didn't attempt to explain that he was training to be worthy. In this sort of situation where the tension was high and people began to feel its negative effects he knew it was best to try not to exacerbate it.

"Mukuro won't hurt Tsuna," He couldn't help but add, "It's not something he would do even though he's gone a bit far and snatched her."

"And what makes you so confident?" The martial artist pressed, maintaining his own unshakable calm.

"Well, uh," Restlessly Takeshi rubbed his hand against the back of his head, "I'm pretty sure he likes her… y'know, in _that_ way." There was about a second of silence for his words to be taken in before the room exploded in a war of noise.

* * *

Unexpectedly the leader of their small group hadn't been Ieyoshi, despite his budding, boss-like aura. It wasn't Gokudera either, as if to dismiss the capabilities of his brain, and nor was it their chaperone, 'The World's Greatest Hitman' Reborn. Instead, the one who had been reluctantly placed in charge, was none other than their least mafia-affiliated member, Yamamoto Takeshi.

"What should I do…?" The former baseballer had only grown more troubled as the journey progressed, deftly flipping the cover of his phone open and then shut in the same movement, "It doesn't feel great to have to fight your friends…"

"You still consider them your friends?" Ieyoshi commented testily, "Despite the fact they're holding Tsuna hostage?"

"Maa, like I said before, Mukuro wouldn't hurt Tsuna, at least not intentionally…" For how long had he known the mysterious teen now? Almost a year now he recounted, finding the time surprisingly short for how long it felt, and he hadn't learnt at all what kind of person Mukuro was.

"You seem to be forgetting the fact he has already put people into the hospital!" Gokudera growled, more than a little angry that one of those people had been his sister, even if he didn't particularly like the woman.

"Ah, yeah…"

"They're certified criminals," Reborn added his expression as ambiguous as his tone, "Killing isn't something new to them and it would be best if all of you kept that in mind." Here Takeshi wasn't quite sure how to respond so he instead opted to say nothing about it. He sighed and brought out his phone, quietly browsing through his contacts and dialling without a second thought.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gokudera hissed, making a failed attempt to snatch the phone out of the other teen's hand.

"Ah, hello, Kusakabe-senpai?" Takeshi waved him off, unconcerned by the growing frown on Ieyoshi's face, "Is Hibari-senpai there? I need to talk to him regarding Tsuna." There was a response of 'Let me go get him' that was heard over the line, followed by the shuffling of movement on the other end.

"Civilians shouldn't be instigated in mafia business." Ieyoshi warned seriously. The swordsman definitely took that into consideration, but at this point he was starting to think that he was the most ignorant, the most civilian-like, of them all.

"Maa, if it's Hibari-, ah Senpai?" Hibari's steely voice cut off the other's attempt at reassurance, his words as crisp and biting as ever, "Ah sorry to bother- right, no, it's about Tsuna..."

"Reborn! You're going to just let Yamamoto spill this stuff to an outsider?" Yoshi turned his attention to the hitman, completely unimpressed by the look of interest on the man's face.

"Ah yeah, so apparently Mukuro's kidnapped Tsuna," He continued to ramble on, disregarding those around him, "Well there's a lot that Tsuna would be able to explain better than me, but the gist is that he's an escaped criminal and that he's uh, killed some people before- What? Oh yeah, um we're heading to Kokuyo now. Chrome said before that they made a base out of the abandoned amusement park there so I assume- Ah, he hung up."

"I can't believe you called the demon prefect," Yoshi complained inconsolably, "Is he even going to be of any help?"

"Ah well," Takeshi considered telling them about the rumours surrounding the prefect, and how they weren't completely off-base or about how he held a special fondness for Tsuna, but instead… "You said it yourself. Hibari is as much a demon as he is Namimori's guardian. For any sort of criminal activity, he's the one you go to first, and if it has anything to do with Tsuna, he becomes particularly motivated."

"Wait, what?" Ieyoshi struggled more with the concept of Hibari being interested in his sister, than the fact he was prioritised over the local police force, "Please don't tell me that they're, y'know- actually do me a favour and say he isn't interested in her like that."

"But then I'd be lying," His smile at this point was a bit cold, feeling the same dislike of such a thing as Tsuna's brother, "As far as I know, he's more interested in fighting her than dating her though." And what a relief that was… not that Takeshi thought he lost in the charms department.

* * *

Despite starting their journey earlier, it was clear that another had beat them to the scene, the stray bodies of unidentified assassins laying strewn across the abandoned grounds. "Ah, Senpai's already here…" The swordsman recognised the tell-tale signs of blunt force trauma, and the distinct bruising left by the steel tonfas the prefect was never without.

"How?" Gokudera asked, confusion rising over his persistent irritation, "When you called him we would've been more than halfway here."

"There's a chance he was in the area." Despite how thorough the prefect had been, Takeshi still drew his sword, the wooden shinai underwhelming, in this scene.

"Yamamoto!" The one that called him hadn't been anyone of their group, but he couldn't claim the harsh voice as unfamiliar.

"Yo, Ken," He waved, lips lifted into a flawless smile, "I'm here to pick up Tsuna."

"Yeah, I figured as much. The skylark's already made a mess of the place, y'know," He had confidence though, that his own boss would be more than able to deal with the young tyrant, "That brat over there the Decimo?"

"Yeah I am," Yoshi proclaimed with no small amount of pride, "Now tell me, where are you holding my sister?" Surprisingly, the blond convict lazily pointed to the building behind him.

"Basement of the leftmost building, Mukuro-sama's waiting for ya there," He wasn't a fool, and knew that it was beyond him to take all three of them on at once, "I'll have you stay though Yamamoto, it's 'bout time that stupid smile got beat off your face." And when he was done he could catch up to the other two, should any of the other's need his help.

"Well I guess that's how it is guys," His current teammates were far too eager to leave, and far too anxious to stay when given the allowance to go forward, "I guess I'll catch up to you when I'm done." Somewhat cockily, he waved them off, unsurprised at the speed they took off at and the anger he garnered from his carefree actions. As if he was something more beast than man the scarred teen lowered himself to all fours with a growl, his teeth and nails extending to mirror claws and fangs in an impossible way. Takeshi on the otherhand underwent no such drastic changes, simply sliding into a low stance that had the bamboo blade in his hand drop its dull illusion in favour of a hard, cutting edge.

* * *

Tsuna found no joy in the endless dream, no matter how much effort Mukuro put into crafting a paradise for her. From room to room she could go wherever she wanted, find whoever she wanted, and do whatever she wanted. There was a lack of nothing with the frightening likeness everything had to reality. For example, she had found a room that mirrored the kitchen of her home, coupled with an airheaded woman wearing a caring smile that matched her memories. And for all intents and purposes this woman could have been as much Sawada Nana as the real one with the only exception being that she wasn't. On a whim, she revisited the flower shop from the future, finding something oddly calming about the unfamiliar place. The man Mukuro had placed there was no different from the one she had met appearance wise, but he did little more than smile and bustle about likely due to her own lacking knowledge from which the illusionist could draw from. Even the scent of the flowers, which had been so pervasive before, were dulled to an indistinguishable floral scent. But Tsuna found this far more comfortable than the perfect, eerie mirror of her own home.

Moving through rooms with no particular thoughts in her mind, Tsuna pressed herself not to linger in places that made her heart ache, and eventually found herself in a place that lacked any presence and influence from the illusionist. The dreamscape was a familiar one, an endless field of pristine white lilies under an empty blue sky. And like before she found a familiar man waiting for her, Primo's mysterious phantom smiling as if anticipating her arrival.

'Come.' He might've said, hand outstretch as his mouth formed the words. All Tsuna heard was static, rough, choppy and indistinguishable, yet vastly different from the silence of last time. And judging by the surprise on his face, she wasn't the only one to notice the difference. But currently there were more important things to worry about than the unheard voice of a ghost.

There was a crack, like thunder rolling in the distance, unseen in the sky but loud enough to shake the air. It was the sound of metal as opposing forces clashed, of tempered steel screeching against itself, sounding inconsistently with no rhyme or reason. "Stop," The girl implored with futility, "Please stop fighting." The hiss of a fire joined in the cacophony, the roar of a blaze amongst the harsh sounds of battle, and very quickly it became too much.

'…' More garbled words came out of Primo's mouth, reassurance if his gaze was anything to go by. Again, he extended his hand, tapping his ear and pointing of into the distance. 'Here, this way,' she could have imagined a soundless voice whisper 'You'll find them over here.' Ietsuna trusted him on an instinctual level, laying her hand within his larger one. There wasn't really a solidness to it, as expected of a figment of her mind, but it did feel remarkably warm.

* * *

She woke with fire in her hands, not to the sounds that had been ringing in her mind, but to something far more sinister. She woke to the underwhelming end to the detestable battle that left her feeling more appalled than relieved, hearing the pained gasps and groans of her friends muffled by the deafening rattle of chains. When her eyes fluttered open, unhurriedly with a forced sense of calm, the first one she saw was Chrome. The girl, who's lap she laid in, turned her horrified gaze away from the scene and towards Tsuna, who by all means should have been trapped in an inescapable illusion.

"Ietsuna-san…" She called softly, with an undeniable plead in her voice, "Mukuro-sama… please help him…" The amber eyed girl sat up, and took in the scene silently, sweeping past the evidence of battle and landing on the striking, black-robed figures. Their presence overwhelmed the scene, looming over the fallen figures of her friends. Her brother stood to the side, cut up and bruised up but otherwise fine, and beside him, watching, stood Reborn his impeccable suit standing out just as much as the raggedy cloaks.

"Tsuna!" She ignored her brother with little effort, her eyes instead trained on the figure wrapped cruelly in those ominous chains.

"You, what are you doing?" Tsuna asked, slowly rising to her feet. Takeshi was here, battered and bruised, holding up Gokudera who looked far more injured. Hibari might have been the most hurt despite being the strongest of the three, bringing him to that despised position on his knees with only his pride to keep him from collapsing. And yet there was still someone worse off. "Release him." She demanded, fire burning in her eyes.

"Don't try Tsuna," Reborn warned, "Those are the enforcers of the commandments in the mafia world, the Vindice. It would be…troublesome, to be involved. Just leave them alone."

"And what will happen to him then?" Tsuna spared him an impassive glance, still feeling the reassuring heat in the palm of her hands.

"His crimes will be put to trial and he will be punished accordingly." The only thing left in question was the severity, but knowing the mafia, it couldn't be anything good.

"No."

"No?" The hitman echoed, two parts incredulous and one part apprehensive.

"No," Her eyes flickered down to her clenched fists and the orange fire wrapped around them, before up to the bandaged faced of the Vindice responsible for the chains around her friend. "Release him." She repeated once more.

"We cannot," The gravelly response came, "Rokudo Mukuro is to atone for his crimes-"

"What crimes?" Ietsuna interrupted impatiently, taking a step forward, "Surely the death of Estraneo scientists wouldn't warrant this." They had brought their doom unto themselves, "Nor should you impartial judges mind the affairs of Vongola."

"He is to be punished for his actions against you," Was the reply she received, "For his intent against Ietsuna Sawada, the Sky Arcobaleno candidate."

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading!

So the plot thickens (and away from canon we go~)

Takeshi is a bit of a star player this chapter as Tsuna is otherwise indisposed. And I like the idea that he would have Kusakabe's contact info (Tsuna does as well, but she also happens to have Hibari's mysterious number).

I'll also be taking y'all on a journey into the unknown hehehe... as we explore Tsuna being an Arcobaleno candidate.


	19. It Was the Small Things

**A/N** Hello!

Oh boy, did I skim over a bunch of things in this chapter or what... Were not really touching on Arcobaleno related things now and reallyjust neatening things up in preparation for thee Varia arc.

I'm gonna need a lot more text heavy bits in my life (who's ready for a 3k word conversation next chapter). Just kidding (but really...). Probably due for some Arcobaleno talking next chapter.

I haven't really set Tsuna's position yet between Decimo and Arcobaleno (or maybe I have), and I'm getting the feeling that a lot of this fic will be a lot of swaying in the possibilities of what she could become.

So let's all take a journey~

* * *

 **~Chapter 19 – It Was the Small Things**

Reborn liked to think he knew himself fairly well, and whilst he wouldn't consider himself the type of person to hold a grudge, he would admit to sometimes being incredibly petty. So when his student found herself spirited away by the notorious Rokudo Mukuro, who was undoubtedly one of the mists that had lingered in her notebook far before his arrival if the degree his page was filled out was anything to go by, he could only muse that she had brought this upon herself. That it would have clearly been avoided if she had answered his questions any of the hundred times he had asked. But as serious as the situation was, held captive by a malicious and murderous illusionist according to the formal report, he felt little concern. Probably from a mixture of Yamamoto's knowledge and reassurance, and the fact his partner Leon, who had definitely accepted Ietsuna as his student, had yet to show any signs of metamorphosis. It was a clear sign that she wasn't in any true danger, that it wasn't yet time for her first true life-or-death battle.

The result of this whole, what he believed to be insignificant mess, was him chaperoning a bunch of brats to save, _more like pick-up_ , Tsuna from a troubled teen that would eventually become her mist guardian. Despite the unknown second mist user, Mukuro's fame was partially attributed to his strength, making him the current number one candidate in the hitman's eyes. Coupled with Yamamoto's testimony and amateur analysis of the tragic teen's feelings, he was likely to be loyal to her anyway, if a bit misaligned due to his hatred of the mafia. So no, Reborn hadn't been worried, at least in respect to the current situation, and was more concerned about getting her in position to be Decimo again.

He watched Yamamoto take out one of Mukuro's henchmen, coming out slightly scratched, and Gokudera the other, with the young hitman weakening only due to a poison from the needles that would have been deadly to most others. Point being, they were fine, allowing him to press ahead with Baka-Yoshi. They had been warned that they were not the only knights to come try their hand at rescuing the princess, so it hadn't been particularly odd to appear in the middle of an intense battle, the demon prefect and damned illusionist each fighting with a fury, with a resolve, that would belittle most others. They found her in that same room, unconscious on a couch at the furthest end with her head cradled, lovingly dare he say, in the lap and arms of an unknown girl. The second mist Reborn realised, the similarities between her and Mukuro mirroring the pages in Tsuna's notebook. Ieyoshi had said something at that point, probably something naïve and chivalrous, with his eyes glued to his twin, but it had little effect on anyone in the room. So he did the only thing he knew and threw himself straight into the fray.

It wasn't a 2-on-1 as expected, and though no one was actually banking on the fact Kyoya Hibari would cooperate in the fight, it was still unanticipated that he would actively lash out at anyone in the vicinity in his battlelust. A step too close, a move done carelessly, and Yoshi found himself on the receiving end of both attacks until the prefect either knocked him away or switched his focused after spotting a rare opening in the illusionist. The ridiculous free-for-all made the battle that much more fierce, neither sides giving in an inch lest their opponents take a mile. Reborn tired of it all too quickly, itching to interfere and end the stalemate, yet he refrains because it means nothing if someone like him were to step in right now. In the end though, his restraint goes to waste as the hatefully familiar sound of vile chains rings out.

* * *

"Acquit him," Tsuna demanded, awake and aware, with fire burning just as strong within her heart as the blaze covering her hands, "His actions were harmless and his intent was to… protect me."

"We cannot-"

"That was an order not a request." It wasn't that she was brave, because even she could see how outclassed she was by her opponents, but the fact was she just didn't take kindly to other's trying to take away what was rightfully hers.

"The way I see it," Reborn cut in as his student lowered herself into the beginnings of a fighting stance, "You guys are more likely to cause her harm than the love-struck fool you're trying to drag away." Their leader turned to face him with nothing but annoyance in his eyes.

"You'd leave this 'fool' beside her, regardless of the danger he represents?" The hitman considered his response carefully, especially with the fact he had never met the kid until now, only hearing the rumours that were left behind in the illusionists wake. Perhaps if Mukuro were a bit more infamous, a bit more ruthless, Reborn would have been more averse to this situation. But despite how much he wanted his revenge against the mafia, he hadn't even been willing to use Tsuna and take the easiest and most obvious route. Really, the only crime he was truly guilty of was killing a handful of Estraneo scientist that no one actually missed.

So in the end the hitman nodded, "Sure."

"Have it your way then," The chains that had almost completely engulfed the teen unravelled on command in an unsettling manner, "It's not my place to tell you how to protect your sky Reborn." The Sun Arcobaleno twitched but held his tongue, lest he say something that would stop the damned mafiaso from leaving. The leader chuckled anyway, reading the unsaid words off his sour expression, but obliged, sweeping out of the room through the same dark portal that spewed them out in the first place.

"Tsuna!" Yoshi was the first to react, stepping forward the moment the coast was clear, followed closely behind by Takeshi and Gokudera.

"All of you should go have your wounds tended to," The flames on her hands whittled down to the faintest glow before extinguishing themselves, leaving behind soot coloured gloves that hugged her trembling hands, "Chrome, I'll be taking Mukuro with me for now. If it's not too much trouble could you look after Ken and Chikusa?"

"Hai." The skittish girl scampered off first, more than happy to leave Mukuro in Ietsuna's capable hands.

"He meant well," She tells her remaining audience, though it was really only her brother who was still fighting the idea, "He just wanted to protect me." 'From the mafia' went unspoken but her twin could only read the silence as 'from you'.

* * *

Mukuro found residency in her room as he lay unconscious for the remainder of the day, the next day, and the day after, showing no signs of waking from the lingering effects of the black flames. Ieyoshi had protested, adamant on not letting a murderer such as him into their house let alone left under her constant care. She hadn't cared much for it, and he had been forced to drop it after she mentioned their father. Because even if Vongola was portrayed to be the good guys, Iemitsu was mafia and a high-ranking officer than had shot down far more people than a child escapee. It wasn't a topic she had wanted to broach, especially with her twin, and unexpectedly found comfort in none other than Gokudera.

"I'm similar," He had told her one afternoon, when she had left Reborn, who refused to answer any Arcobaleno-related questions, to tend to Mukuro as best a flame-indicated healer could, "Before I came here, I was a hitman for hire."

"I know," Tsuna reached out for his hand, disregarding the subtle way he flinched from her touch, "Just because I dislike it, doesn't mean it will stop. There will be crime and there will be murder, and no amount of justice in the world will stop that." She pressed her lips together, holding his gaze solemnly, "I'm not happy that you've killed others, regardless if they were innocent or not, but all the same it's brought you here." She vaguely remembered the file that Reborn had given her, the one that held more information on Gokudera than she had cared to ask for, no matter how willing he would have been to provide. "I'm glad that someone gave a child, barely older than ten, a hit. That despite the odds and meagre training, that child was able to come back successful. I thankful for every job you took that kept that kid off the streets, fed, and helped build enough of a reputation to be noticed. Because everything you did brought you here to me."

"I would stop if you asked me-"

"I know," She cut in, maybe a bit more forceful than necessary, "I know, but I won't. Not when that fraction of mercy is what leads you to your death." She herself wasn't strong enough yet, to uphold those righteous ideals, let alone protect others that would do so in her stead, for her sake.

"Tsuna-sama…" His words at first seemed stuck in his throat, but in reality, they found themselves tumbling out easily, "The mafia will ruin you." What was Reborn thinking, trying to put her on the throne? Ieyoshi would've been fine, Gokudera realized. Her brother at least would've gone to the ends of the earth to keep her safe.

Ietsuna couldn't even offer a smile in response, couldn't confirm or deny his statement. There was laughter in the house, Lambo and I-pin running around and causing a ruckus that was vastly different from the silence upstairs in her room. It didn't matter that one was a mafia heir, or that the other was a child assassin, because here they could act like kids, and she would go untold lengths to protect a peace like this.

"Tsuna-jiejie!" There was a clatter, a scream, and a whirl of cow-patterned madness. Whether I-pin was asking for her help against the 'broccoli' monster, or warning her of the pink, impending doom, Tsuna never found out.

* * *

She was seated across from an unknown man with a faint yellow aura, in a restaurant filled with foreign chatter and soft music. His features were Asian despite the shock of auburn hair that looked natural enough, the green eyes behind his glasses only mildly surprised at her abrupt appearance. "Lambo-kun again?" He asked with a gentle smile, pushing forward a glass of water.

"Ah, yes." Tsuna took a sip, giving the wine glass beside her a curious look. There was a faint imprint of red against the rim, and she didn't know whether she was more surprised at the fact she had been drinking or the brightness of the shade of lipstick she would wear. Ten years seemed and felt awfully far away.

"I assume we haven't meet yet then?" She hadn't recognized him at all, "Shochi Irie- or should it be Irie Shoichi?"

"Are we in Italy right now then Irie-san?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Shoichi's fine, and we are. Best restaurant in Palermo according to Giannini" The man replied, rubbing the back of his head, "I actually called you out to show off an invention. You might still find it interesting actually." Shoichi reached into a nearby bag, retrieving a slim, black case and passing it on. Tsuna handled it gingerly, and feeling none of her instincts shouting danger at her, flipped open the lid. Of all the things she had thought about when he said invention, eyewear hadn't been on that list. "Spanner helped me with those," He added even though she had no idea about the people he was naming, "Give the glasses a try." The contacts were by overlooked as she picked the simple frames up. Putting them on hadn't changed much, not even dulling the scenery with how clear the glass was. It was only when she looked back to ask him, that she understood their purpose.

"Are you ready to place your order?" The sudden Italian from a waiter surprised her, but as she looked up she was more surprised to see his face. White hair, purple eyes and a scent of lilies that should've belonged to a florist. There was a spark of recognition is his gaze as she met it before he winced his striking eyes closed, bringing a hand to his head in what looked like pain. "You…" Shoichi looked concerned about the situation, more for her than their struggling waiter, but had no need to act when she disappeared a moment later.

* * *

"Welcome back, Tsuna-sama." Gokudera had a deeply thoughtful look of his face, "The glasses?"

"Oh, I guess I took them with me." She pulled them off, sighing in relief as Gokudera's red blaze became visible again. It felt like they had been made specifically for her, but why her future self had felt a need to mute her sight, the current Tsuna couldn't understand. "What was I like?" She couldn't help but ask, wondering if there would be problems from up and disappearing, or rather switching, in front of a civilian.

"Similar, calmer and more composed." He described without simply saying 'more grown-up'. She had felt just as kind, if maybe a bit stronger. Unfortunately, regardless of his wishes, she had felt like a mafiaso, with an underlying edge to her gaze that hadn't quite been blunted down as they met gazes. And, heedless of Ietmitsu's wants, apparently unaffected by Reborn's machinations, the ring she had worn was unfamiliar in design. That didn't mean though, that Gokudera had failed to pick up the key symbols and motifs of it. That he couldn't draw his own easy conclusions only to be left wondering how it was she had ended up there.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

The worst part of this all is flip-flopping between first name first, and surname first (really i base it on the point of view of the current person).

So Vindice is anticlimactic, and there is more gratuitous use of the Ten-year Bazooka. And now as we start on the Varia (chapter 20 it was!), I'm hyping myself up for the Future arc (it's still gonna happen regardless to canon changes, but how is another question).

There's something to be said when Gokudera (who really is the most gung-ho of them all) has the slowest relationship growth (in my eyes at least). This also excludes Lambo who I don't consider bonded yet (and probably won't until Tsuna accepts him as a guardian).


	20. Visitors of All Sorts

**A/N** Hello~

It actually amazes me how little actually happens in this chapter. There's some talking, some walking, some build up but that's 'bout all.

Remember that this is set in the unlikely future. Where everything starts later (two years I think considering Tsuna is in her first year of high school) than canon. There is some ooc-ness here (but really two years should have enough to take the edge of of some people's personalities).

If I also have to estimate some things, Varia arc might be filled with some guardian bonding I've been putting off (Lambo and Ryohei getting a proper induction, and Takeshi and Kyoya getting a much needed revisit). [We'll get to Reborn and the Arcobaleno eventually hue...]

Also, if you're going to let me know that are spelling/grammatical mistakes, please tell me where so I can fix it (editing honestly happens after I post a chapter 'cause it's easier to catch on my phone).

Anyway here you go~

* * *

 **~Chapter 20 – Visitors of All Sorts**

"Fon-sensei?" Her martial arts teacher was an infant today, just like when they first met all those years ago, except this time no longer trying to hide his hindered form from her eyes. Three years they had spent together, breaching on the fourth, and she wondered if his tutelage would last longer than Fujimoto's or if he would also suddenly, abruptly, leave.

"Yes, Ietsuna-chan?" He gave his attention over to her.

"Can you tell me about the Arcobaleno?" He didn't exactly flinch, but tensed so slightly she would have missed it had she not been watching so closely.

"Can I ask why?" It was not a story he enjoyed telling, nor a weakness he found ever wanting to admit, but knew she wouldn't pry without reasons. Tsuna had after all, kept her curiosity under wraps for all these years.

"The Vindice said something interesting before they left," He grew concerned, clearly left in the dark by Reborn who was determined to 'fix' the situation before it become a problem, "They declared me a candidate for Sky Arcobaleno."

"That's-" Fon's expression become complicated, the only distinguishable feeling being worry, "I assume Reborn will not tell you?"

"He told me not to worry…" Which only served to make her worry more. Ignorance had always led to fear for her. He stopped, mind whirling more than it would ever show on the surface, choosing his words carefully.

"We are… at the time we were called 'I Prescelti Sette', the Selected Seven, a collection of world's strongest people, though strength didn't necessarily mean physically powerful," He began slowly, "One for each colour of the rainbow, one for each flame type." From around his neck he retrieved a red pacifier, glowing every so softly with the light coming from within, "The reason we were selected, was for the sake of these pacifiers, which I have been told uphold the balance of the world. We were cursed as their keepers and used to sustain them. Though for all the power they are spoken to have, they are nothing more than a dreadful burden."

"And your current appearance is because of the curse?" She guessed.

"Until recently we had all been trapped in our infant bodies," He explained, "It was only due to Verde's, the Lightning Arcobaleno's, breakthrough that we can occasionally regain our old forms."

"So I'll have constant age changes?" He gave her a pained smile.

"The Sky Arcobaleno is a bit different," Fon met her gaze with an age-old weariness in his own. "For us elements we are removed from time, frozen, un-aging and unchanged till the breakthrough. For our sky, time simply moves too fast, and even a genius as smart as Verde, has yet to find someway to ease it. Physically there's no change, but the toll the pacifier takes on your body causes it to degrade faster, burning through your lifespan. The current Sky Arcobaleno is expected to pass soon, and she is only in her late twenties."

"I see." As enlightening as it was, none of that information had been particularly happy. Not that she had expected it to be with how tight-lipped Reborn had been.

"It's a fate I dearly wish for you to avoid." Ietsuna felt a warmth spread through her at his words, ever so slightly dampening the cold dread beginning to grow.

"But someone has to do it right?"

"Sadly, yes." She wondered who it was she was apparently competing against, in a race that no one really wanted to win, and if something as comical as a pacifier was really responsible for maintaining the world.

* * *

There was a man bleeding out on their couch when Tsuna finally returned home, burdened with a knowledge that weighed heavy on her heart. She'd have been more surprised had the front of their small house not been swarmed by loitering, suit-wearing, foreigners. As it was she remained mildly concerned. "Owowow! Can't you be more gentle Reborn?" The healer of the house was merciless in his bandaging, and for an instant she felt bad for the blond man, would have felt worse if he hadn't absolutely ruined the lounge room couch.

"Mama's going to be upset." This man was orange, and unlike the specks of colour in his entourage, it was vibrant and strong, with stunning flecks of yellow standing out. This was the first instance of duality she had ever seen in the shifting auras, the yellow as slight as if was, refusing the blend and bleed into the darker tone.

"Ah, sorry about that, I'll be sure to have it replaced," For someone who had almost gotten cut in half, he was surprisingly cheerful and upbeat, "You must be Ietsuna," He offered a calloused hand, "Dino Chiavarone. It's a pleasure to finally meet the sister Yoshi never stops talking about." He was charming, in one of the fantastical manners described in some of Hana's guilty love stories. Charming yes, but with and edge she was beginning to recognize.

"This idiot is a former student of mine," Reborn gave, with a small note of pride in his voice, "Currently he is the boss off the Chiavarone Famiglia which happens to be allied with Vongola." A don, despite how contrast he was to the stereotypical godfather image.

"So, what happened?" He had clearly been through the wringer, "Are there more… enemies?" Kyoya would be having a fit with all the mess happening in his Nanimori.

"He got caught up trying to deliver this." Vongola's Young Lion entered the house and the conversation holding an engraved, black box, with a stern looking girl by his side and her brother on the other. "Tsuna, meet Lal Mirch one of my subordinates. Lal, this is my Tsuna."

"Nice to meet you." Ietsuna received a nod from the younger girl, taking in everything from the flame shaped scar to the ambiguous navy colour that emanated from her form. She was beginning to think that one's importance in the mafia came from the strength and presence of these 'flames' rather than their physical age and appearance.

"Likewise." Her father stepped forward, and her brother, almost unnoticeably, shuffled back.

"This is for you Tsuna," Iemitsu opened the box, displaying two rings and five empty indents where the others had been, "These rings are for those who are worthy of succeeding the Vongola. They serve as identification and hold an immense power within themselves," It was almost ominous the way he said it and she had to wonder about another set of trinkets she had just learned about. "There are a total of seven for each flame type, for the sky and each of his guardians. I've distributed most of them already and this," He picked out one of the remainders and handed it to her, "Is for you." It was an oddly fragmented, a shield cut in half on a band that seemed slightly too thin. There was some sort of design, possibly a lightning bolt, but it was hard to tell with only part off the image there.

"She's a lightning?" Dino seemed surprised.

"She's a sky." Reborn snorted unhappily.

"She has enough lightning in her to be Yoshi's guardian." Iemitsu finished.

* * *

Gokudera, now Hayato much to his pleased embarrassment, had come with her to buy groceries. Both because food diminished quickly in the ever-growing household, and because whoever had attempted to cut Bucking Horse Dino down was still out and about. His sister Bianchi, as expected, wore the storm ring proudly, same with Basil and the Vongola rain ring. Lal, the new arrival, was holding onto both the mist and the cloud ring, apparently more than strong enough to handle both rings. And with the lightning ring settled uncomfortably around her neck, their father with only one more ring to place. Tsuna had her sneaking suspicions that he was looking towards I-pin as a sun candidate, something she found more than slightly distressing. The one saving grace in this situation was Fon, and how hard the man was trying to keep his youngest student as far from the mafia as possible.

"…Tsuna-sama?" Her own storm had been calling for some time, unable to decide between loose and pre-packed vegetables.

"Hmm?" She dragged her gaze away from the window, where a flicker of blue could be seen, so brief it might've been her imagination had her intuition not rebuked that thought. "Have you seen Takeshi in the area?"

"That idiot?" He scrunched his nose up in displeasure, "He's usually at home at this time." Despite his own personal bias he was very well informed.

"That's what I thought…" Typically at this time Takeshi was training with his father, "I'm going to check on something." The silver haired teen followed her out of the store, walking with her as she turned and veered, following a ghost trail he couldn't fathom. He simply put it down as one of the mysteries of the Hyper Intuition she had inherited.

"That's-" They came across a man slumped over a bench in a deserted park, with long hair as striking colour as his own, in black clothes that had a suspicious wet gleam. In the dim, night lighting it was difficult to tell, but Hayato would bet mostly anything that it was the sheen of blood. The worst part was that he knew the man, anyone in the mafia would.

"He's injured." Tsuna was visibly concerned and he could tell she obviously wanted to help. She started to walk forward and instead of stopping her, he allowed it, his mind spinning with potential theories and outcomes. "Are you okay?" The man was slow to acknowledge them, opening his irritated eyes when they hadn't passed by like everyone else.

"What do you brats want?" His grey eyes settled on a look that was suspicious but not overly hostile, "Especially you Smokin' Bomb. You part of the Trash's entourage too?" They were lucky that his exhaustion had muted the usual violence.

"No," He chose his next words carefully, watching from any sort of reaction from the man, "I follow Ietsuna-sama as her guard." Those distrustful eyes narrowed further.

"Ietsuna Sawada?" He asked, pinning Tsuna with his stare.

"Yes?" The blue in him was swirling and whirling, tumbling like waves over each other constantly. When he stood it was a smooth motion that belied nothing of his worn state, looming over them with a heavy gaze.

"The boss has been looking for you."

* * *

Roughly ten years ago, Superbi Squalo had been about the same age as the kids he was currently leading into the monsters' den, bright-eyed and still desperately carry the heavy weight of his dreams in both arms. He had only looked onwards, running forward, putting his faith in another and paving the way forth. That was his first mistake. If he had simply glanced back he would have seen the signs of trouble brewing, of mafia machinations directed harmfully towards them. And maybe had he been a little smarter, wiser, he could've put an end to them right then and there.

His second mistake had been to defer his own judgement, to do as commanded like a good soldier and follow through on what, had they not been who they were, would've been a suicide mission. For all his passionately placed admiration, he should have smacked the kid over the head until he was thinking his own thoughts, and not listening to traitorous whispers.

But he had done nothing, failing as a subordinate whilst his boss had paid a costly price. It was only right for him to throw down those now-useless aspirations, might as well leave behind an arm that hadn't helped, if it meant getting stronger. It was him, not as an act of redemption but one of anticipation, who had prepared for their boss's return. Because he would, there was no way he would stay down, especially after such a distasteful betrayal. He had whipped their men into shape, kept them from straying and from getting too complacent, because they'd need nothing short of an army to go against the unyielding force of Vongola. He had only fought for what was, in Squalo's opinion, rightfully his anyway. If they needed proof then so be it, if he had to go through hell and high water to obtain those rings, so be it. And if Squalo happened to remember their carefree chats years ago, less about succession and more about an odd girl that he had promised protection, then his boss better be thankful that he had gone out of his way to retrieve her.

"So who, uh, is your boss exactly?" Ietsuna asked as she followed, leaving behind the more familiar neighbourhoods for a rural and extravagant mansion that had been abandoned long ago. Squalo look incredulous at first, then turned to her storm with something akin to exasperation on his face.

"How much does she know?" He asked leading them through an iron-wrought gate, worn but still fully functional.

"Bronco Dino showed up with your handiwork and one set of the Half Rings." Hayato explained loosely, "I was given the minimal amount of information needed, Ietsuna-sama even less I assume." It was no secret that her family was being hypocritical in their actions of pulling her into the underworld, and then keeping her as ignorant from its horrors as possible.

"The stupid horse chose the wrong one to follow." The swordsman muttered irritably, almost disappointingly. He pushed open a set of heavy wooden doors with ease, stepping into the dreary interior, unbothered by the dim lighting and the unsettling quiet. It wasn't silent though, with Tsuna catching quiet murmurs and subdued activity in the silent intervals of their footsteps. "This is Varia's current base of operations," He told the girl, glaring at anyone who stared too long at their odd group, "Currently most of our executive members are out on recon, luckily for you, the boss considers himself above tedious work."

"Varia…" Vongola's Autonomous Assassination Squad. She had heard of it before Yoshi had cared to let her know, had seen the symbol long before catching sight of the flag in the mansion's foyer. But where, she couldn't quite remember.

" _Voi! Boss!_ " Squalo didn't bother knocking, pushing open the door and dodging incoming glassware in one swift move. The glass shattered by her feet, the wine inside spilling onto the stained carpet that showed evidence of habit.

" _What do you want Trash?_ " His boss snarled out, with a voice that was three parts irritated and one part tired.

" _I brought guests._ " The swordsman entered first, motioning for them to follow. Given Tsuna had already followed him thus far, it didn't make sense to suddenly back down, especially when her intuition remained muted and unperturbed. Hayato too, had clearly known Squalo from first sight, knew that the swordsman was responsible for the injured man in her house, and used her full name despite being just Tsuna-sama for the past month. He was smart, more than people would realise given his hot-headed exterior, and she trusted him, not as much as some but more than others. All of this was enough in the end, for Ietsuna to step into the lion's den.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

So I've inadvertently made Mukuro sleeping beauty. It happened and who knows when he will awaken and become relevant again.

Given that I've also chopped canon Tsunayoshi into two, it goes without said that both sides have picked up their own allies and are slowly building their differing faction. Characters on Ieyoshi's side (e.g. Dino, Lal, Basil etc) will probably get glossed over until let (everything happens later). But anyway know that I'm trying to keep the twins fairly equal.

This chapter also has Gokudera acting as an enabler (for whatever he gained after seeing future Tsuna). And as improbable as it is, Tsuna has been delivered to the Varia. (Get ready for the overuse off italics and Italian next chapter).


	21. The Familiarity of Strangers

**A/N** How long has it been ;D

This chapter is mostly for set-up than anything else so there isn't much pzazz. We're finally moving away from high-school pals and onto Varia development...not sure how that's gonna go down though but I'm excited.

Oh god, so many things to get done yet so little time...

* * *

 **~Chapter 21 – The Familiarity of Strangers**

It was as if they were meeting each other for the first time again. Tsuna felt the strain in her eyes as she took in the radiant blaze of colour, so vivid she could almost feel the heat of the fiery shade. It hurt, as if staring directly into the sun, so much so she almost couldn't bear to look. She noticed the aura first, how the once smouldering orange was now cracked by vicious crimson, before her own amber eyes moved onto the man behind it. He hadn't aged much, with a litany of burns that now marred his tanned skin and a fierce intensity behind his red eyes. "Xanxus…" She was unsettled, because aside from his physical appearance, she couldn't recognize the man before her.

"Ietsuna." For him it was different, as if he had gone to sleep dreaming of a child and woken up to see her grown. It was a testimony of the years that had passed by when he had been imprisoned, as if his officers hadn't been evidence enough. And yet aside from this, she was exactly the same, because the years could never take away the foolish kindness in her eyes.

"Why then…?" She had never asked Reborn, probably because the hitman would refuse to answer. She hadn't thought to ask her father ether, because when had he ever told her anything? Yoshi was picking up the same horrible habit so instead she had kept her questions within this entire time. This man would tell her though, had told her the truth from the very start regardless if she had been a child. "Why is Yoshi trying to become Decimo when it should be you?" It started soft but came out with the force of a shout. Incredulous, disbelieving and desperate.

"Voi!" Squalo cautioned her with a tap, staring wide-eyed at his boss as if awaiting an explosion. Gokudera took this as a sign of trouble, quietly raising his guard and awareness as he stepped ever so slightly in front of his own boss.

"Because Timoteo found me unsuitable," Xanxus snarled out through gritted teeth, the benevolent father all but erased from his mind and heart, "After all the lies he fed me, he thought I would back down and give up what is rightfully mine." The scars on his face and hands seemed to darken with his mood. He breathed deeply as if to calm himself, but the whiteness of his knuckles said otherwise, "I'm glad I'm no son of his, and regardless of what he thinks, I will take the title for myself." There was a chain around his neck, holding one half of the Vongola Sky ring, and marking him as a candidate for all to see. In response, Tsuna couldn't help but feel the lightning counterpart in her pocket as inadequate.

"And my brother?" She didn't necessarily want Yoshi to win and would prefer if her were safe and out of the way. After all who was she to judge who would better lead the Vongola famiglia.

"If he gets in my way he'll be dealt with like everyone else," Xanxus warned uncaringly, "That being said, will you be a problem Ietsuna?" His eyes narrowed warily. He hadn't forgotten her, hadn't forgotten what he had promised the small nightmare-ridden girl.

"All you need is to win the ring battles, and it's 'majority rules' so if your side is strong enough, neither you or Yoshi will have to fight." She remembered the brief rundown Reborn had given her, and how around now there would be an influx of last minute tutors for Yoshi's side. "When the rounds start I'll forfeit this one to you," Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the lightning half ring, glinting slightly under the lights, "Unless you can take it right now?"

"You're supposed to be his Lightning Guardian?" He barked out a bitter laugh. As if she would be anything other than a Sky.

"Iemitsu wanted it to be Lambo, the Bovino heir," She lit the ring regardless, showing off the green sparks she could wield, "How could I let a kid get wrapped up in all this?"

"He's mafia," Xanxus answered, "Has been since the moment he was conceived. He's not getting out of it that easily." His words reminded her of Mukuro, of how hard he had run only to turn back for vengeance. She couldn't even say that had he stayed away, he would've escaped the mafia for good.

"He at least shouldn't be forced to fight grown assassins." Tsuna remedied. She could let him be just a kid for a little longer.

"Hold onto it for now," The scarred man said, turning the topic back to the ring in her hand, "Now that your brothers' distributed his set, it won't be official until the fights start." It wasn't that he trusted her, it was that he knew her, and the type of person she was. Currently, keeping her brother safe was the same as making sure Xanxus came out victoriously. What reasons could she have to actually help her twin succeed?

* * *

"Tsuna!" Currently Bronco Dino was masquerading as an English teacher, with her father's subordinate Basil also finally enrolling into their peaceful school, both scouring the student population for any young, outstanding talents. No one would have known that the two charming foreigners were in fact, dirty-handed mafiaso, still going about their days in blissful ignorance.

"Sasagawa-senpai," Regardless of the recent happenings she attended school like normal, her prior absence noted down as sickness and nothing more, "I would like to speak with you." Before the older teen could continue his usual antics, she drew him out of the classroom and away from any sharp, calculating eyes. "I owe you answers." She felt settled, reassured and confident of the path she had chosen.

"Hm?" It wasn't like he had completely forgotten, just simply pushed the matter out of his head. He had after all, never been one to linger on the bad, "I understand if you don't want to talk about it-"

"You say that now…" Had anyone else said that she would say they were trying to avoid knowing. Ryohei though, with his experience as a senpai and older brother, knew a large deal about being considerate towards others. "What you got caught up in was a kidnapping attempt." Tsuna dragged him to a relatively isolated part of the school yard, still within seeing distance of others, but far enough their conversation would not be shared. "It wasn't random, they targeted me and picked you up because you were a witness."

"I see…" She gave him a brief moment before continuing, relieved he appeared more surprised than anything else.

"My father is part of the mafia and my brother is training to succeed one of the most influential families in Italy. They're dangerous, I'm dangerous, and if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from now on." She explained it bluntly, feeling as if it was the most effective way to get through.

"But-"

"It's not worth it," She interrupted, eyes ablaze, "I don't want you pulled into this mess anymore. So stay away, and keep your sister away while you're at it." She had kept her friendship light for a reason, ready for the inevitability of the mafia to come ruin the life she had built up. At the mention of Kyoko his eyes seemed to light with awareness. "You get it, don't you? The more closely related you are to us, to me, the more danger you'll be in," Moving her gaze away from him she stared out at the school and the students idly going about their day, "The mafia isn't a good place and I'm asking you not to throw your life away for it."

* * *

Ryohei was more of a 'doer' than a 'thinker', and he was just as aware of that as everyone else. While watching Sawada Ietsuna leave with a polite farewell, he stood there thinking, only because he had no idea what he was supposed to do in this situation. He hadn't felt this conflicted in a long time, not since that incident with Kyoko and the high schoolers that apparently hated his guts. On one hand, he understood Tsuna's concerns. When the adrenaline had worn off after the kidnapping he had needed a good session with his sandbag before the trembling in his hands stopped. The feeling of warm and cooling blood though, lingered. She hadn't meant to get him caught up, his involvement nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence. He probably would have died had she not jumped in front of the bullet for him. Even if her presence was the cause of the dilemma, she had certainly done everything to protect him.

That, brought him to his current problem. He wanted to protect her, wanted her to rely on him, and couldn't be more sure of his feelings that happened to go above and beyond any of his past crushes. But she had taken him aside and told him that it all meant nothing, that what he felt wasn't worth the strife it would bring. Logically she was right, the mafia was dangerous business and she was offering him an out, a chance to turn around and forget it all. A smart man would take her pardon, but he never claimed to be one of those. He simply didn't have it in him to ignore his feelings. What could he do with these fists of his though? Well he knew at least one person who could throw his questions at… even if he got another door slammed in his face.

With the singlemindedness of a man who didn't know how to stay down, he sought out the ever infamous Hibari Kyoya.

* * *

Ietsuna hesitated on knocking, not knowing if she would be welcomed in the first place. Had a passing maid not noticed, she surely would've have been stuck loitering outside, Hayato to her right and Takeshi to her left. As it was they were graciously allowed in, treated with a cautious yet unearned respect, and led towards the boss' lair. Xanxus had been less surprised of her return than his righthand man. He had been waiting, and didn't need the Vongola Hyper-Intuition to know she would show.

The introductions were brief between the two parties. She had been briefly introduced to the array of colourful personas that were his guardians, and he had been shown the two that followed as simply her guards. It went better than expected, with all the explosive personalities mellowed and forced into harmony by the two skies. Hayato was perhaps the snappiest, but tolerated them all just as much as he did Takeshi. It was only Xanxus' own Storm Guardian that got a proper rise out of him, with his barbed comments and sly looks towards Ietsuna. Their verbal fights never escalated to something physical though, even with the threats they viciously traded, neither willing to have their respective boss lose face due to reckless actions. In Takeshi's case it was his ignorance, whether feigned or not, that generated animosity itself. Varia's flamboyant sun didn't mind answering his questions, easing the civilian's own transition in.

At one point there had been a fight, a spar between the two resident swordsmen, instigated by Xanxus' right hand as he wandered passed Takeshi diligently practicing his forms. As non-lethal as it was supposed to have been, the spike of bloodlust and killing intent from both sides had been real. Squalo had been reluctantly impressed, never minding the nicks and scrapes he collected. Tsuna had been appalled, all too aware of the gashes and cuts to Takeshi's uniform. No one could deny though, the ease of which he had thrown away his civilian status, or the small budding talent he held for cutting others down.

"This can't really be what you want…" She told, rather than asked, him, slapping plasters on as many cuts as she could find. Glancing to the side she pinpointed Hayato's own bandaged hands, always raw and burned from his own choice of weapon. Perhaps she should look into sun flames.

"Mmm, y'know Tsuna," He began softly, tilting his head to catch her gaze, "In my ideal future you finally say yes and agree to date me. Somehow, I manage to scrape through to the same college as you, and end up playing ball for the Giants. I'll win all of my games and at the end of the season I'll propose and you'd say yes again. Then at some point I'll retire and take over Takesushi, and maybe we'd have a couple kids I could teach to play catch." She was red, blushing at the earnest way he described it to her, and couldn't say she hadn't had a similar daydream flit through her mind once before. Before this whole mess began. "But that's unrealistic, even for me," He continued, with a winning grin, "Honestly I'm happy enough with the fact I get to stay by your side, because sometimes you get this look in your eyes and I feel like you're going to go far away. Now though, being here and taking this path, gives me a means to follow. So really, this is what I want. I'd always choose you and you can ask me as much as you want, but my answer won't change."

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading~

How do I Xanxus? And also Ryohei? Looks like we'll. have guardian-guardian bonding time next...

I think Takeshi makes me a sappy romantic, and I'm not sure how I feel about that haha...

Oh boy, we have a long journey ahead guys ;)


	22. Cacoethes

**A/N** Heyo~

Baby steps, baby steps. How am I able to make no story progress in a chapter? (Maybe it's slightly there? I mentioned upcoming ring battles so...)

I might actually be able to tie up the Varia arc in the next two chapters (three if I do some more character delving).

I think I'm also getting more and more sappy the further we go (this is what an absence of action scenes does to me hah.)

You may judge for yourselves :D

* * *

 **~Chapter 22 – Cacoethes**

"Onii-san!" Kyoko was beyond distraught, fluttering around him with hovering hands all too wary of his dark, blotchy bruises, "What happened? Did you get into another fight?" There hadn't been a tournament or any club events that she had been aware of, nowhere he should've been able to pick up the smattering of purple and greens.

"I was sparring," He told her, bright and happy as if he didn't have a swollen black-eye, "With Kyoya." He added as if it explained everything, and in a way, it did.

"Mou, I thought you gave up recruiting him." It had been nothing short of a nightmare for her when her brother had first met the prefect in his first year of middle school. Years of patching him up from lost fights, and stops to the convenience store for icepacks, had not endeared the prefect to her whatsoever. Though, her brother's own persistence was also a large factor in his own injuries.

"Ah, I did, but maybe some extreme sparring every once in a while wouldn't hurt?" His eyes shifted away from her gaze leaving her to wonder about his obvious show of guilt. She stayed silent though and watched as 'every once in a while' seemed to translate to 'every day' in his language. Resigned, Kyoko figured they would need a restock on icepacks sooner, rather than later.

* * *

Tsuna found herself studying in Xanxus' office, wondering if any of her effort would actually get her anywhere, or if it would all become redundant in the face of the mafia. With a tired sigh she adjusted the frames perched on her face. It had soon become apparent that they were a new necessity, the cacophony of colours in the mansion often giving her headaches after too much exposure. Xanxus in particular, was the one with the loudest aura and also the one she stayed with the most. The others she didn't see nearly as much, none of them coming to the boss' office unless it was required. That's why she had been surprised to see Viper glide into the room, the Arcobaleno in his…her, their infant form, which they seemed to be in more often than the others she knew with the same curse. "Rokudo Mukuro has been visiting my dreams." Viper announced, mostly to their boss but obviously to her as well.

"I heard he was hanging around in Japan," Xanxus muttered disinterestedly, "What does he want?"

"He's been asking about her," Viper nodded in Tsuna's direction, "Amongst other redundant matters." In general, he had been a nuisance, fishing for info the Varia's Mist definitely wouldn't offer up for free.

"Sorry," Ietsuna asked as politely as she could, "Could you tell me how he's been?" Chrome had told her that Mukuro had been acting scarce, avoiding all of them in favour of loitering in the Arcobaleno's mind it seemed.

"You know him?" There's was surprise in Xanxus' voice, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"He's a friend." Tsuna answered vaguely, turning her attention back to Viper.

"Your mist is fine," The mysterious infant began, with heavy emphasis on the 'your', "So if you would kindly tell him to stop bothering me, I would appreciate it."

"I can't really, because he refuses to wake up and speak to me." And it was around this time she was leaning more towards 'won't wake' than 'can't wake'.

"What foolishness," The Illusionist was more than mildly incensed, "To leave his body in such a vulnerable state."

"Would you be able to convince him to wake up?"

"And what benefit would that be of to me?" Was the huffy reply.

"I'll have him leave you alone," She offered weakly, "I just need you to remind him that we're waiting, and that he owes me at least this."

"I'm not a messenger."

"Please?" Viper would've declined more harshly but catching something in the boss' eye, the mist conceded with a quiet sign and frown.

"I'll be taking an IOU for this." An Arcobaleno, one of the strongest seven, treated like a simple carrier pigeon.

"Thank you, Viper."

* * *

"How do I train my flames?" She had gone to Reborn, because he was still one of her teachers, and probably the one who would give the best answer if he felt like it. She had been given a book, from Xanxus' own personal library on the topic, but she could only go so far with written theory.

"Your Sky flames or your Lightning ones?" He had taken his time but finally reach a state of acceptance, it didn't mean though, that he thought her decision had been anything but idiotic, "In general Dying Will Flames share a direct relationship with an individual's resolve, and I'm not sure what a person with dual flames would do to differentiate between them. I assume that they would both grow through repeated use though."

"Is it possible I could use another flame type?" The book had gone on about wavelengths, an innate trait unique to each individual that could not be altered or change from what had already been decided at birth.

"Aren't you a greedy one…" The hitman remarked drily, "It is possible you might have the capability but without the ability to ignite it we wouldn't know and it wouldn't be worth knowing. Is this something you can see?" He hadn't perused her notebook for a while now, but new that she had been adding a fair amount to it each passing day.

"I can't see myself," She had told him this before, "But maybe?"

"Who's caught your fancy this time?" He queried in a light tone.

"It's Dino-san," She said omitting any thoughts of Xanxus from her mind, "He could probably ignite a Sun flame if he tried."

"Interesting. Someone like him would probably do well with Sun flames, if only so he could attend to his own clumsy injuries." Reborn paused, gazing at her with intent, "I assume those are also the ones your hoping for?"

"It would be nice to be able heal others, especially those getting hurt because of me." The cuts that Takeshi earned, the burns that littered Hayato's hands, and the bruises that her brother brought back with him, amongst other things. Reborn rewarded her earnest words with a piercing look, swallowing the words lodged in his throat and looking upwards as if to find help.

"We can try but I think this is one thing you can't simply will to work," No matter how caring she was, he didn't really read 'Sun' from her. But then lightning had been a surprise, and who was to say she wouldn't have more ready to spring on him, "Regardless, I can teach you basic first aid."

"Really?" She smiled, feeling some uneasiness leave her, "I'd appreciate that."

"I'd feel bad if you didn't learn anything while you're supposed to be under my tutelage." He shrugged, idly giving Leon an indulgent pat, "Just remember Tsuna, you can't be everything to everyone."

* * *

Reborn's casual advice, his light words of caution, stayed with her, hovering in the back of her mind and serving as an unwanted, unneeded pressure. It echoed loudly in the silence of Xanxus' office, the words tumbling and turning, taking up her capacity for basic algebra. For an hour now, she stared at the unfilled question sheet, unable to bring herself to care about any x's or y's or which hypothetical student would have more apples than the other.

"Ietsuna," Xanxus had in turn been staring at her for some time, boldly without putting any effort to hide his gaze, "Did you find the book interesting?"

"Huh? Oh yes," She put her homework away, it was pointless having it out if she wasn't going to do the work, "It was very insightful."

"And? What else are you?" He questioned knowingly, leaning forward on the palm of his hand, "Sky, Lighting, and?"

"I couldn't light anything else," Tsuna replied with a purse of her lips, "Not yet, but there's something else…" Let it be Sun she hoped.

"I'll give you this then," He grinned, sharp and full of teeth, tossing something small and silver overhead, "Maybe practicing with an attributed ring would help."

"This is!?" It sat in her hand as small and as light as a pebble, but weighed heavier than a boulder in her heart. Glinting innocently as it caught the light, doubtless of all the blood that had once been cleaned off it.

"If you aren't going to be a Sky, rather than their Lightning why not be my Cloud?" Even without the accursed Vongola intuition he had a good gut feeling about her alignment. She could be the weakest Cloud in history and maybe never light a flame, or maybe he could be mistaken. Either way better with him than against him.

"I-"

"You might as well. You're already going against your brother, your father, and you're currently playing for my team. Why not make it official?" The conflict on her face was obvious, but he took the fact she hadn't returned it yet as a success. "I won't ask you to fight against them. Just think about it."

"I…okay." It was Reborn's voice she heard again then, the same words repeating on an endless loop.

"The battle will begin at the start of next week," He dropped his gaze to his own incomplete ring, "Be ready."

* * *

"Where have you been lately?" Ieyoshi found her in the spare guestroom, sitting by Mukuro's bedside with a book in hand. "You're surprisingly hard to find."

"Studying, training," Feathered bookmark in place she closed the paperback, "Reborn's been teaching me some things as well."

"Ah, that's… good," His expression could only be described as uncomfortable, "The uh, battles are starting soon."

"Yeah." He was the first one on this side to remind her.

"I'd rather you didn't fight to be honest," He had never wanted her involved in this mess, "If it comes to it, you should forfeit." With his piece said he made a hasty retreat, leaving behind weak excuses of training.

"Ha-" There was something close to hysteria bubbling in her throat, ultimately plugged up by a thing as simple as confusion. How easy it would be for her to indulge in the sin of sloth. For all her tight-roping and dips into each side, neither had asked anything of her other than her presence. She could forfeit her own match with an easy heart, granted with her brother's sudden approval. Xanxus too, wasn't expecting her to fight for him, at least not now against her own kin. This was ideal, wasn't it? Xanxus would win and take the mantle he had been waiting for. Iemitsu would leave, and his sticky fingers would no longer reach out and corrupt. Unfortunately Ieyoshi would go with him, but the danger, the risk and hazards towards him, would be lessened than if he succeeded as Decimo. And then, what would become of her?

"…I can hear your loud thinking from here," She turned slowly, watching dark lashes flutter against pale cheeks, mismatched eyes unwilling to open, "What's got that pretty mind of yours so caught up?"

"One less thing now that you're awake." Gently Tsuna brushed the bangs away from his face. They were greasy, and he was in need of a shower.

"Awake? I'm definitely still asleep," The corner of his mouth quirked upwards ever so slightly, "And only true love's kiss can wake me."

"But then you'd be rewarded for your bad behaviour, and no one would have learnt anything." She had almost forgotten this feeling of fond exasperation.

"On the contrary, I thought we all learnt a lot from that debacle," With a squint he finally deigned to open his eyes, slowly adjusting to the soft light of the room, "But currently there are more pressing matters, no?"

"You know about the ring conflict, right?" He confirmed with a nod and a wry smile.

"A little snake told me that you've been parading around as your brother's Lightning Guardian."

"That's correct." She fiddled with the rings in her pocket, "I would appreciate if you could stop bothering Viper by the way."

"For you Ietsuna." He conceded. There was nothing to be got from the tight-lipped Arcobaleno anyway. "But you're not on your twin's side at all are you?"

"I am, but not in a way he or Iemitsu would appreciate," His gaze was steady without any judgement, "Is that selfish of me?" In response, Mukuro laughed. It was loud and vibrant, the complete opposite of the prone body he had left behind in the past weeks.

"You could stand to be a little more self-indulgent I think," His smile was beautiful, and Tsuna recalled how many Namimori students had swooned from its charm, "But I think I'm biased enough to give you the world if you asked."

"Why?" There were a lot of things she hadn't been able to ask while he was out of it and now was a good a time as any to start.

"I assume for the same reason you stood against the Vindice," He paused thoughtfully, "No, it would be more accurate to say it's closer to the reason why Yamamoto will never leave your side and the skylark will always come running to your rescue." Fascination had played a large part in the beginning of their relationship but somewhere down the line it had become an enthrallment for him. Boldly, he would declare that the allure went both ways, whether she was aware of it or not. The lovely flush on her cheeks though, was a good sign.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

Ohohohohoh, that's how I feel about my decisions. Not taking them back though!

We've got a peripheral glimpse at Ryohei and Kyoya, some Viper and a return from Reborn. There's more Xanxus (it's like his office is her thinking/monologue space).

But best of all, sleeping beauty has awoken ;)


	23. Friction Brings Sparks

**A/N** Hullo~

This is officially Varia pt.1, but with the way this is headed... well I hope y'all aren't expecting mind blowing fight scenes.

The real question is when the romance starts/continues? (I'm hoping for sap during the downtime after the ring battles)

Until then though, this is all ya got ;)

* * *

 **~Chapter 23 – Friction Brings Sparks**

"Ah-" No matter how much Nana wanted to celebrate with a feast, Mukuro's first meal after awakening consisted of a simple, white porridge. Ginger and chicken being the prevalent flavours as per Fon's eagerly passed on recipe.

"You're really living the life, aren't you?" Ieyoshi remarked snidely as Chrome, Mukuro's self-appointed nurse, raised another spoonful to his lips. The Kokuyo gang had been quick to show up after being notified, slotting themselves into the already full house to tend to their weakened leader.

"Jealousy isn't very becoming of you, little lion." The illusionist snarked back. With a smirk he leaned more heavily to his left, resting his head on Tsuna shoulder when he found it. He had a flower on each arm really, and revelled in every minute of it.

"Jealous? Of a washed-up criminal?" He snorted incredulously, "Hardly."

"Yoshi," His sister's gaze was alight with warning, "There's no need for that."

"Really Tsuna, you're going to defend him?!" He huffed as if it could relieve him of his frustration, "He kidnapped you, tried to possess me so he could destroy Vongola." He pointed a finger at Mukuro accusingly, "He's murdered people y'know? I still can't believe we let someone like him stay here."

"Ieyoshi." Her tone was terse and harsh, her gaze cold and unfamiliar. "You of all people, have no right to complain," she bit out, her eyes landing on all the people she considered intruders in her home, "Not when you haven't been home in years, only to bring your own band of felons to our front door." Basil shrinks back while Lal holds her ground. Really she expects nothing less from one of the Arcobaleno.

"Vongola are the good guys-" He tried to argue.

"Mafia is mafia." Tsuna cut in, "Have you ever wondered, how many people our father has killed? And don't say that those deaths were necessary, that it was deserved by Vongola's enemies. You don't get to decide that, no one does." Her brother, thoroughly chastised, could only respond with silence. He turned away moments after, unable to bear the brunt of her gaze, but not before catching the mocking smile Mukuro wore.

* * *

She had taken to going on walks when tensions in the house got too high, too many conflicting personalities gathered under one roof to have any semblance of peace. Especially right now, the day before the decisive ring battles, Tsuna felt herself out the front door before half the house was even awake. She had told Mama she'd be staying over at Kyoko's, and Reborn that she would meet up with everyone tomorrow night on the school grounds, on the poorly chosen battlefield.

Namimori was quiet, as it should be, its citizens none the wiser of their new guests. She kept to the residential suburbs, staying away from the busy shopping district, as she mulled over her thoughts. Tsuna trailed after a house cat on a wall and followed sparrows from tree to tree, all the while fiddling with the rings that now lay around her neck. She suspected Hayato had known. When she thought about it, the prickly bomber had too easily allowed her to approach Squalo despite his habit of snarling at even the most innocent bystanders on the street. The Varia were famous enough that a hitman like Hayato would had to have recognized the second in command, and yet he hadn't attempted to stop her at all. She had a feeling that something might've tipped him off during her latest trip to the future, seeing he was surprisingly solemn when she had returned. But what? Showing up with a Vongola ring, Cloud possibly, could mean a number of things. Ten years was a long time and just holding a different ring to Lightning wasn't enough to prove she wasn't with Yoshi. Perhaps she held two rings, like Lal currently did, or maybe she was acting as a placeholder? No. For someone like Hayato to let her run towards Squalo, the danger to her as obvious as the Chiavarone who had almost bled out on her couch, there needed to be an obvious tie to the Varia. Maybe she had donned their emblem? It was the only thing she could think of currently.

"Alright Loser, y'know the drill." The mocking voice cuts through her thoughts with surprising force, and she locks onto the welcome distraction like a predator chasing prey. Ietsuna turns two corners to find the alley where a bully and his goons are picking on another student. They're not from Namimori High, that much she can tell, and help themselves more arrogantly than the usual brutes she's had to deal with. They have their backs to her, but their victim doesn't, anxiously eyeing his only escape route when she come into his sight. Dark eyes widen, and as best he can without tipping off the bullies, he tries to tell her to get away. Tsuna knows this boy, or she will know him. She knows at least that sometime ten years from now they would be sitting together in a restaurant somewhere in Palermo, Sicily. Maybe not anymore though, now she's aware of it all. Is this where it begins she wonders, taking a step forward. Regardless she's not going to let him get beat up when she can help it. Her footsteps are purposely loud, but this is all the warning she's willing to give them before she begins knocking skulls together. Sneak attack aside, its ridiculously easy and she cleans up within seconds.

"Are you alright?" She asks after the last teen is knocked out. They're nothing much, not compared to the mafiaso in town.

"Ah… y-yes, yes, thank you… for helping out." He's at least two parts bewildered and one part cautious, but otherwise very thankful.

"That's good then." She turns to leave unwilling to stay for any longer. Tsuna's well aware this doesn't fix anything. Her own experience tells her the bullies will be right back at it within a week or two. But she's not going to recommend he learns how to fight back. She doesn't want to say anything that might bring them closer.

"Ah wait!" She stops at his tentative call. "Thanks again, really… my name's Irie Shouichi," She wants to say she knows, "Uh, what's yours?" He doesn't have his yellow shroud yet, just like Ryohei hadn't had his before meeting her. With that in mind she leaves without another look back, his question hanging unanswered in the air.

* * *

"Welcome Ietsuna-sama." Her feet had taken her to a large Japanese mansion steeped in tradition. She was allowed entry easily enough, though it would be a long time before she ever got used to that sort of reception, and was led through familiar corridors and hallways to the guests lounge.

"The young master will be with you shortly." Her guide told her before bowing out. Kimono or not she walked with the grace of a fighter, just like all the other workers within the household.

"Ietsuna." Her gaze flickered to the doorway and she had to wonder why she thought it had been a good idea to come here. This would be the third time now she had seen him out of his school uniform in the years they've known each other, and Tsuna would wager a pretty penny that if the girls at school could see him now, there would be a lot of fainting and his fanbase would skyrocket. Black kinagashi contrasting with pale skin, loosely put on and already slipping down to reveal too much collarbone and shoulder.

"Have I come at a bad time?" It was odd seeing him slightly less put together than his usual immaculate self. He shifted, expression composed and unreadable.

"It would upset Suzuki-san if we were to spar," He told her, "But you're not here for that." Suzuki-san, the name was familiar and had Tsuna looking more closely. There were tendrils of black just starting to curl over the sides of his shoulder along with the angry red of irritated skin.

"You got more work done…" She stated, now understanding his slightly provocative appearance was more a necessity than choice. That meant he would be in an especially bad mood for the next few days, both due to discomfort of his skin and his inability to have a decent fight without everyone in the household nagging him, his mother especially. "I came to talk anyway, so maybe it's better we can't get distracted." The prefect nodded, calling one of the maids to prepare tea before taking a seat on the floor across from her.

"Talk then." His grey eyes were piercing, and she was thankful she had taken the whole afternoon to organize her thoughts.

"Tomorrow there will be fights on the Namimori Highschool grounds, for the title of Don of Italy's most powerful Mafia family." Just because she had time to think though, didn't mean she had figured out a better way to unload information. The way his brow furrowed told her how much exactly his disapproved of this.

"You will be fighting your brother?"

"No," She shook her head, "Yoshi will be fighting another candidate."

"The foreigners that arrived a little while ago then." His people had kept tabs on this small town for generations and knew of every new arrival the moment they set foot on Namimori soil.

"Xanxus will win." She told him with certainty, "And then… I think I will be leaving." His eyes narrowed challengingly.

"Explain."

"Vongola has something called Guardians. It's a bodyguard system really, and heirs are required to have a set of six before they can inherit the position of Don." She folded her hands in her lap and held back the urge to touch her rings, "As Xanxus' Cloud Guardian, I assume I will follow him, and his first action will be to leave Japan and claim his throne." They are interrupted by the maid returning, with an expensive teapot holding even more pricey tea. She pours two cups gracefully, before bowing and leaving the silent room.

"This is something you decided?" After a long moment of thought this was what he asked, "He could find another couldn't he? But you're leaving of your own free will."

"Yes." She nodded solemnly, "I think that it was too naïve of me to hope to avoid the mafia for my entire life. It is in my blood, and there are certain responsibilities I can't ignore. You should know this." She gave a pointed glance at his inked shoulders, Kyoya's inheritance far more visible than her own. He frowned, pure displeasure etching itself across his face.

"Tomorrow I'm coming with you." He grabs the still hot tea in front of him and drains the cup, standing and declaring their conversation over, "I will see this Xanxus and if I don't approve you will remain here." Kyoya says it with such power and certainty, she can't bring herself to deny him. So Tsuna simply nods and acquiesces with his demands. "Good. I'll have the maids prepare a room for you tonight." Neither of them will be attending school tomorrow and she had no plans to return tonight anyway. He turns and she sees the blacks and reds of the clan's phoenix tattoo climbing up his back, claiming him in more ways than she would dare to.

* * *

Tsuna spends all of the next day with the Hououkai, the lady of the house accosting her in the still-dark hours of dawn to play dress up before returning her to a sleep ruffled Kyoya for breakfast. Kyoya approves of the flowery kimono and it sends all the maids giggling as they whisper and gossip to one another. She spends the day idle in the gardens, her phone turned off and tucked away, simply enjoying the peace. She has lunch with Kyoya and then dinner with his family. It's surprisingly comfortable. The couple is obviously in love seen through their subtle interactions, without the need for blatant gestures, and their love for the son is much the same. This family has chosen to dwell in the underworld instead of hiding from it. They embrace it together, instead of the force segregation she and her mother have endure. With pained thoughts, Tsuna wonders why she couldn't have something like this… or if she would prefer it in the end.

Time passes too quickly and before long it's time for her to take her leave. Unfortunately, the clothes she had worn in yesterday were in the wash if Kyoya's mother was to be believed, so she leaves the house in a looser, somewhat less formal yukata. She's not sure how she's going to fight in this if needed, or if she'll be able to return the pretty garment in one piece. Despite all intentions Tsuna and Kyoya leave the mansion looking more like a couple going to a festival than the battlefield that is waiting. Its not that they dawdle, but still they are the last to arrive. Already both factions were staring each other down, raring to go and tear at one another's throats, but her gaze swept past all of them, landing on a familiar face that shouldn't have been there.

"Tsuna!" Her brother came forward to greet her, his relief obvious. Xanxus on the other hand stayed silent, his gaze simply knowing.

"Yoshi," The acid in her tone stopped him in his tracks, "What did you do?" Officially her brother had four guardians including herself, with Lal Mirch holding two rings. The Sun ring was unspoken for since Iemitsu's persistence with Fon had got him nowhere when it came to recruiting the Storm Arcobaleno's disciple. Takeshi and Hayato were expected to be present also, as if they would let he fight without them. Similarly, Reborn and Iemitsu were present to keep watch and supervise. And yet there was an odd one out. Someone who should've stayed away like she had warned them.

"Now Tsuna-chan, don't blame your brother," Her father was quick to step up, sensing the steadily rising tension and anger, "I called him. Yoshi needs a full set of Guardians to qualify as a candidate. It's just a precaution for now, the title can be changed later." _Lies_ , her intuition hissed, her anger spiking at the man's audacity.

"Who gave you the right!?" She snarls, eyes ablaze. The sheer animosity on her face something he has only seen on enemies who wish him dead. Reborn can see Iemitsu falter, see his heart threatening to break before he steels himself, shoving any pain far away and donning the skin of Vongola's Young Lion. He doesn't feel any sympathy from the man who is currently losing his daughter, not when he cautioned him specifically about trying to take what belonged to others.

"Tsuna-" He attempts only to be cut off.

"No, shut up, I changed my mind. I don't want to hear your damned reasoning," Kyoya is calm by her side and she tries to make herself feel the same, "You just take, and take, and take, will it never be enough!?" Her brother, her childhood innocence, her future, those she could handle. Some could say it was even expected from the daughter of a mafiaso. That did not mean though he was allowed to bring others in, that he was allowed to taint and take his pick from whoever he wanted just because they had a glimmer of potential. She grabs the half rings, grinding them together in pure frustration and feeling the metals scrape against each other. "No more," They spark, flickering in their attributed colours before settling on an orange that burns, the flames spewing from the gaps of her fingers, "I want you and yours gone, out of sight, and away from me and mine." She tries to think of her brother, of how all she had ever wanted was his safety. But it's hard, oh so hard with the rage in her veins. She pulls the rings from her neck, separates Lightning from Cloud that had almost slotted together in her grasp, ultimately revealing them to all. Her father and brother try to comprehend and fail until she tosses one, obviously the lightning ring, to Xanxus with the scarred man snatching out of the air with a feral expression. Really, she had wanted to throw the both of them into the dirt. For all they meant to the mafia, the trinkets held no such meaning for her other than tools for causing misfortune and strife.

"Tsuna…" Betrayal sits stark on her brother's face as she dons the Cloud Ring. It lights up purple for a fraction of a second before being consumed by orange. Tsuna shakes her head at him, even he has crossed the line if he allowed this. She had drawn said line at Takeshi. Like his father had said, she couldn't have expected her friend to back off. Not now, not after all their years spent together. No more she told herself, denying everyone and not letting anyone closer. That's why she refused to let another bright future get snuffed out. Tsuna sees the fool standing there, probably conned into believing he's doing the right thing by raising his fists. She doubts they've explained everything and knows they've yet to tell him they want to build a killer out of him. No, she catches his searching gaze and her expression softens. She would not let Sasagawa Ryohei walk this path of ruin.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

So I made Kyoya a yakuza heir, sue me. Personally I think its great hue...

And finally we see the set of scales that Tsuna weighs. On one side is her brother and the other all her friends, and it's not tipping in Yoshi's favour that's for sure.


	24. To Mourn What You Never Had

**A/N** Guess what it's been... the answer is a long time...

This took forever because just urhg, the dialogue (I'm not even 100% happy but that's just me being fussy).

Welcome to I guess the second half of the ring battles, I literally deleted and rewrote this at least 6 times (just why are my combat scenes so awkward geeeee)

Anyway I'm sorry this update took so long, enjoy!

* * *

 **~Chapter 24 – To Mourn What You Never Had**

Reborn has half the mind to pull out his gun and shoot her right between the eyes. His life would return to being predictable, his thoughts tell him as his legs start walking. Though that would leave a long line of people simply out for his blood. He sighs, and simply resigns himself to following the current instead of playing the part of an idiot trying to climb a waterfall. Really, he's done now, he refuses to take any responsibility for anything that has already or will happen. Nono hasn't paid him enough for it. He meets her burning amber gaze and simply concedes. Concerning Vongola's strife, he's officially pulling out, it's simpler like that. He honestly doesn't care anymore who succeeds the Famiglia because its far more important to solve this Sky Arcobaleno mess that's been brushed under the rug. For that Tsuna has to remain alive, so he takes his place behind her and prepares himself to wait for this mess of a succession to be over.

"Really, Reborn?!" Everyone has been shouting for a while. There's arguments about Ieyoshi's right to contend with a missing guardian and accusations of Xanxus playing dirty to get Tsuna on his side. In that time only Lal has noticed him walking over to Tsuna, recognizing his intentions for what they were. A man abandoning ship as soon as a leak springs up.

"I'm unaffiliated, and my contract with Nono expired a couple days ago," The man hadn't called him to renew it, no doubt busy and under the assumption Reborn would simply stay loyal for a couple weeks after, like usual, "The Vindice named Tsuna a Sky Arcobaleno candidate though, and this trumps the importance of Vongola's succession by miles." A silence sweeps over the schoolyard and he's forgotten that only a few had known. Baka-Yoshi had never mentioned anything after the Mukuro fight, the fact possibly slipping his mind, and none of Tsuna's guard dogs had known the importance of the jailer's statement.

"What?! Why wasn't I told?" Her father looks as if the ground beneath him will fall away at any moment, which while not unexpected, feels like hypocrisy to an extent. Reborn barley holds his scoff for the man who thinks the path he forged for his daughter is any better than the outright condemnation of becoming an Arcobaleno.

"Because Iemitsu, it doesn't concern you, and there is nothing you can do should it come to pass." The hitman replies, turning away from the man, obviously unwilling to speak more.

"I'm her fathe-"

"Mou, that's a big claim Reborn." Viper floats forwards and speaks mostly for the sake of it, his high voice completely cutting off that of the CEDEF head's. He knows that Reborn wouldn't joke about something like this, none of them would.

"It is, so can we just get this over with so we can all pack our backs and head over to Italy and solve it?" The teen Tsuna's brought with her bristles at his words but stands down at Tsuna's silent request.

"It's already over," Squalo claims, sneering at the opposing side, "The brat's down a Guardian, two if you count the double-up, That's clear violation of the rules, he's disqualified."

"I can't accept that," Iemitsu shouts back, fist clenched tight as he glares at the bold swordsman, "Other matters aside Tsuna is Yoshi's Guardian regardless of her actions. In this case we've forfeited the lightning match but the rest is still valid." The longhaired swordsman lets out an audible snarl, disbelief joining the distaste already on his face. He's shaking from an overload of emotions with more insults at the tip of his tongue, visibly struggling to hold back.

"Why?" Tsuna's voice cuts in before yet another shouting match can begin, "Why are you so desperate?" For once she deigns to ask, pleading that her father answers with truth and not the ambiguous lies that come so naturally.

"Yoshi is the only one who can-"

"I'm asking you now to not lie to me," The stare she gives him is piercing and feels more like it belongs to a stranger than his daughter, "It's bad enough that you left Mama ignorant and unprotected, but I won't take it anymore. So stop, think, and try again." Iemitsu tenses, his whole entourage does, and he holds out a hand to stop Lal as she surges forward, silencing her before she spits out any biting words.

"It's not a lie," He presses, looking over to Xanxus with a meaningful gaze, "The rings won't accept those without the blood of Vongola, worthy or not." Tsuna turns to him as well and sees the whiteness of his knuckles from his clenched fists.

"Are the rings even necessary?" The one on her finger is awkward and uncomfortable, but beyond that it's a piece of metal that just happens to set alight when she wants it too. Xanxus is strong, he's smart. He's kind but not without his ruthlessness and can kill with a steady hand. He is ideal, and she can only see Vongola prosper under his reign.

"They're powerful, part of the unseen foundations that support the world," Reborn explains vaguely, "Part of the Tri-ni-set alongside the Arcobaleno pacifiers. You could even go as far as to say like a how Arcobaleno's are task with protecting the pacifiers, the Vongola have been entrusted with the safeguarding of their own relics." Disbelievingly she tries to take a closer look at her half ring but still can't see the world-breaking power it supposedly holds.

"It's not just guarding," Tsuna guesses as she feels something heavy settle in her gut, "They must be maintained."

"Yes," Iemitsu confirms, "And it can only be done by the Sky it accepts and those around them." The night is quiet and her thoughts too loud.

"But just because you have to be of Vongola to wield the rings does not mean that because you have them you must be mafia." She points out.

"It's about power," Reborn refutes with a shake of his head, "The rings are a symbol of authority and without them Vongola would not be able to hold it's standing as the strongest famiglia. It would collapse and the amount of chaos it would bring the underworld is unimaginable."

"We may be mafia, but Vongola are the good guys," Her father wholeheartedly states, "The familglia originated as a vigilante group to protect the people, and even with how we have grown, that value still holds true."

"The good guys?" She wants to scream at him, to cry and throw a tantrum until she passes out, hoping that when she wakes up the nightmare will be over, "There is nothing good about you!" He flinches as if stuck and she ignores the feelings of guilt his expression brings. "You want to talk about protecting people? Then where do you get off dragging me and mine into this sort of life?" She makes a grand gesture towards Sasagawa Ryohei.

"We are protecting those who cannot protect themselves because we are the only ones who can," He doesn't shout back but his words are loud enough with how much emotion he's laden them with, "Is that not the right thing to do? Shouldn't the capable do what they can?"

"No, and I apologize for not being enough of a martyr to sacrifice my own happiness for that of strangers!" Tsuna cries back and it isn't until Kyoya puts his hand on her shoulder that she realises she's shaking. Is it right? Is it heroic? No matter how stubborn she is she can tell he is not completely wrong, but his methodology still rubs her the wrong way regardless of the end goal. "You might mean well but that doesn't change the fact your actions, your meddling and your coercions, are cruel."

'Breathe.' A stranger whispers in her mind. And she does.

"Why did you marry Mama?" She asks him on a tangent, "Why did you tie her to you, tie her down, when you were never going to be around in the first place?"

"I love her." Iemitsu answers seriously. 'I love you too.' he wants to add.

"Not enough," She answers harshly, "Otherwise you would have told her, warned her. You love the idea of her, a lovely housewife with clean hands. But if you really loved her you would have told her the whole truth, would let her know exactly what she was signing up for, and let her leave if she said 'No'." It's what she did and what she would continue to do. After the succession matter was settled she was resolved to tell her mother everything, because after all these years she deserved that and more.

"It was to keep the both of you safe!" He argues passionately, and she turns it against him aggressively.

"Ignorance is not protection," She claws at the many folds of her borrowed clothes, dragging it up and aside to reveal the shiny starburst just under her left ribs, "Because you naively believed your secret was well kept you had left us to fend for ourselves. You think that this the first time someone tried to kidnap me? To use me against my father who I hadn't seen in who knows how many years?"

"Why didn't you say something Tsuna!" Her brother jumps to attention while her father remains shocked into silence.

"Because I didn't want anything more to do with the mafia," She admits with resignation in her tone, "I didn't want any mafiaso traipsing into my home, I didn't want to get dragged off to Italy, I didn't want any other connection than the misfortune of inheriting Vongola blood." Sullenly she knows her attitude, her fear, has done her no favours. In the end everything she had tried to avoid had come to pass regardless, her home full of famiglia instead of just family and her next flight to Italy is all but booked. Useless, all her running had been for nothing, so perhaps it was time to change her mindset and move forward. "But, if this is the path I have to tread no matter what, then I'll do it my way." It's awfully quiet this night, all the previous clamour silenced by her and her father's back and forth arguing. More than embarrassment she instead feels relief after finally venting everything. She takes another slow, measured breath. "I will make Xanxus Decimo." She declares boldly.

"The rings won't-"

"Who cares whether or not some trinkets accept him?" She scoffs with a glance down at her own fragment of the cloud, "If they must be maintained then I can do it, my blood is just as good as Yoshi's, so the rings will have no problem accepting me and mine. Who says we can't set Xanxus up with a fake if appearances are so important? He is more than strong enough with or without the accursed rings. You all claim Vongola is the mightiest famiglia, so who would actually dare to question the legitimacy of Xanxus' ring? How much of the mafia even knows the importance of the rings, knows enough about them to spot a fraud when they see it?" Not much, Tsuna's more than willing to bet.

"Tsuna," Her brother implores, "I don't know what he's told you, but Xanxus isn't- He'll ruin Vongola."

"No," She refuses, "And if you actually knew him, if anyone spared a thought to look past blood, they would see him just as worthy as I do." The girl talks, and talks, and talks, but she doesn't think people are hearing her. "You all think that he's manipulating me Yoshi, but he's never asked a thing of me that I couldn't refuse, never asked me to trade my life for the safety of yours, never pulled in anyone that hadn't explicitly come to him first. It's our father that has you jumping through impossible hoops, that speaks words of glory and heroism, that tells you what is right and what is wrong."

"So you're saying it's wrong to want to help others?" Ieyoshi asks, his expression tight and eyes bordering on wild.

"No, I'm saying it's wrong to aim a gun and pull the trigger in the name of justice. To kill a man, regardless of his deeds, and pat yourself on the back because he is guilty of crimes you think warrants death. Kill one to save the many, logically I understand that. One life for ten, ten for a hundred, if your standing there spouting about right and wrong then I feel like you haven't realised the consequences of your actions. Simply put, to be Vongola Decimo is to murder thousands and that's a burden neither of us can bear as we are. Something I hope you never can."

"Ietsuna, neither Nono or myself will accept Xanxus' ascension." Iemitsu explains with Yoshi ultimately silenced again. His words are met will all types of growls from the Varia, the lot of them sounding more like animals then men.

"So, the whole thing was a farce then? Just another training hurdle for Yoshi?" She spits sharply and feels her blood boil, "Forget it then, I see all that talking meant nothing, both to you and to me." Her hands smoulder and black soot covers her skin forming a layer that could be gloves. "We'll fight then. It's why we've gathered here in the first place, and if you lose, when you lose, you'll back down and accept it because there's nothing else you can do."

* * *

There is a divide of three factions as far as Reborn can see. There's Xanxus with his Varia, Ieyoshi with CEDEF, and no matter how much she declares she sides with Nono's adopted son, there's Ietsuna with those who are simply hers. Gokudera and Yamamoto have at some point come to stand beside her during the long 'discussion', the latter bringing along the white-haired civilian he remembers wielding sun flames. Then there's the quiet teen she arrived with, who he would easily bet is one of Fon's kin, and then they handful of foreign teens she left at home with Maman. It quite the collection the hitman has to admit, and in no way is it less than the other two warring teams.

"VOI!" Xanxus's second calls the attention back to them but actually leaves it to their Arcobaleno to speak.

"No Lightning, no Sun and one guardian for both Cloud and Mist, if this was the normal 1 vs 1 format you would have already lost," Mammon floats forward, their infantile form just slightly less than intimidating, "But you won't accept that so we'll hold a boss match, Xanxus vs Ieyoshi, winner takes all. You'll agree to those terms, yes?"

"Yes." Iemitsu agrees immediately, finding it the best outcome he could hope for. With the rest of the mist's face hidden under a hood the only thing he can see is their malicious smirk and it unsettles him.

"I'll judge since at this point I'm probably the most impartial," Reborn states, "Whenever you're ready." Everyone shuffles to clear the way and it's jarring for Tsuna to realise it's finally happening. Xanxus and her brother stand just a few meters apart. They adopt battle stances, both pulling out their gear and her brother taking the time to swallow a single blue pill. The effects are immediate, a flame flickering to life on his forehead as an unnatural calm sweeps through him. He punches together his fists, both covered in heavy looking gauntlets, his arms enclosed in the silver metal all the way to his elbows. Xanxus has none of the theatre her brother does, simply pulling out a pair of guns emblemed with a red 'X' on either side. There's no fire, just a flicker and a spark by his hands, but to Tsuna he burns bright.

It starts with a shout, Ieysohi exploding forward propelled by a steam of orange flames. The fist he punches out is blocked by one of Xanxus' guns, the other aiming vaguely at torso for a fraction of a second before firing a laser of searing flames. Her brother drops back off the moment the gun sparks, dodging the shot with a duck and pushing up to get even closer to his ranged opponent. Whatever advantage he hopes to gain their never comes though, the Varia leader easily trading off in the almost fist fight. Back and forth they clash and its with mixed feelings she watches on. She doesn't flinch when Xanxus finally takes a blow to the gut, or when the unforgiving metal of his gun comes down hard against Yoshi's collar. "Ridiculous." She finds herself spitting out, holding back a hysterical laugh.

"Are you alright Tsuna-sama?" Hayato asks looking terribly concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm fine-" Her brother takes a rough blow to the face and it forces a hiccup at the end of her sentence. Xanxus won't kill him, she knows that, but she hates the idea of them beating each other to pulps.

"Ieyoshi-dono!" Basil, her brother's Rain, is the only one to shout in alarm as his boss is thrown into the dust, tumbling haphazardly before a clawed grip on the earth allows him to skid to a stop. Xanxus retracts the leg he had struck out with, frowning more in mild irritation than anything else. He's strong, Tsuna had always known it, but only now is her father seeing the worth of the successor he had scorned. He opens his mouth as if to taunt the fallen boy but stops and instead scoffs. He rushes in, a blast of red flames propelling him forward. His scarred fist meets Yoshi's unprotected stomach in an uppercut so fierce it lifts the other boy off of the ground with its sheer force. She sees him gag, spit flying, before Xanxus once again hurls her brother away. Winded and curled into himself she hears him dry wretch in the silence of the battle field.

The outcome is this; the Vongola's hope has fallen, too weak to rise and hacking away in despair of defeat; while the Varia head stands tall, practically unscathed and viciously victorious.

Tsuna has eyes only for the victor, the man in all his proud glory painted like the evening sun. He tilts his head back and with wide open jaws he roars, the rest of his men exploding into cheers around him. They scream in joy and rapture in turn but never once do any of them drop their guard, their triumph had been a long time coming and they would let no one take it from them.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for still being here hahah

So that's done. And I mean, the fighting is brief. Honestly I just imagined that the way Yoshi was raised he wouldn't be quite ready for Xanxus (nor would he fight with enough desperation for the ideals his sister had just scored him for)

Also Tsuna's done avoiding I guess, which means we're plowing straight ahead.


End file.
